You may have noticed that your Wi-Fi speeds slow down as more people or devices use the network. The same is true for larger systems. If too many people gather in one area, cell towers can’t handle the influx of people. Serious wireless traffic congestion is on the horizon as the number of connected devices grows exponentially and the coming wave of artificial intelligence will make the problem even worse. Now, scientists at the University of Florida have a potential solution: making the chip 3D.
Most wireless communications rely on “planar” processors, meaning they are essentially flat. Because they are two-dimensional, they can only handle a limited range of frequencies at a given time. But unlocking the manufacturing process that allows you to build chips in three dimensions could allow the hardware to handle multiple frequencies simultaneously. This could amount to a revolution.
You can compare the problem to traffic moving through a city, said Roozbeh Tabbrizian, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Florida, whose team developed the new processor.
“A city’s infrastructure can only handle a certain level of traffic, and if you keep increasing the number of cars, problems will arise,” Tabrizian said in a report. Press release. “We’re starting to reach the maximum amount of data that can be moved efficiently. The planar architecture of processors is no longer practical because they limit us to a very limited frequency range.”
The research is published in the journal natural electronics, describes a new approach to leveraging semiconductor technology to accommodate multiple processors built for different frequencies in a single chip. This breakthrough has several benefits. Best of all, it improves performance while shrinking the chip’s footprint. Planar chips can only get bigger if they are widened, but the ability to make chips that increase capacity in three dimensions instead of two means the technology is easier to scale.
“Think of it as lights on the road and in the sky,” Tabrizian said. “It became a mess. One chip made just for one frequency no longer made sense.”
As this technology matures, it will mean that all of our devices can work better and faster. This is a crucial development as we advance everything from smart cities to adding another 12 smart devices to your apartment.