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Chip Trades Precision for Power Usage

Sometimes, argues one engineer, close really is good enough

By Jim O'Neill,  Newser User

Posted Mar 1, 2008 7:38 PM CST
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(Newser) – Smaller, faster and more precise are the goals of engineers who design microchips, those tiny, power-hungry processors at the core of modern electronics. But a Rice University professor is going against the grain, trading a little bit of precision for a major savings in power, and potentially leading a revolution in how chips are manufactured, reports Technology Review.

Krishna Palem’s "probabilistic complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology, “ or PCMOS, is ideal, he believes, for devices that rely less on computational accuracy than on brute force to process audio and video files.  To ensure precision, chips have traditionally run at high voltage; PCMOS chips use much less voltage, making them ideal for applications like music players and mobile phones where battery life is critical.

Microchips, like this wafer of them, are prized for speed and accuracy. A new design trades some accuracy for a reduction in power usage.
Microchips, like this wafer of them, are prized for speed and accuracy. A new design trades some accuracy for a reduction in power usage.   (Getty Images)
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microchips • Moore's Law • Rice University • PCMOS • Krishna Palem

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