Tech Trend: Intel Plugs Electron Leak

Intel has found a way to insulate the circuits on its microprocessors on three sides, not just one. This could enable a 45 percent increase in future chips' speed or a 35 percent reduction in total power used.

The "tri-gate" method helps to prevent electricity from leaking between wires as chip manufacturing processes shrink from 90 nanometers to 65 and below.

The technology is still on the drawing board, but when it's ready, Intel designers probably can apply it to new chips quickly because the manufacturing process should be able to employ existing equipment in the fabrication plants.

Intel has said it will be making more chips using a 65-nm process than 90 nm by the third quarter of 2006 and will move to 45 nm in 2007 and 32 nm by 2009.