I was browsing through some news, and I came across a headline that read- “AMD beats Intel To 7nm Process”. The article did not, however, explain what the 7nm process actually means. I understand it is related to CPUs. Can you explain what the process size mean?
It is, in fact, true that AMD arrived at the 7nm process before Intel. For the first time in many years now, it seems that AMD is finally ready to take Intel head-on in the consumer CPU market.
As far as the process size is concerned, it is important to understand that process here does not mean the processing capability of the CPU, but the process using which the CPU is manufactured.
In simple terms, the process size of a CPU is the size of the smallest unit that is used in manufacturing the CPU. Therefore, a 7nm process means that the smallest unit that is used to manufacture the CPU has the size of 7nm. Intel is currently manufacturing 14nm CPUs.
The process size has a great impact on the performance of the CPU. The logic is simple, smaller the process size, the greater the number of components that can be put on the same sized chip. CPUs with smaller process size are more efficient. The only downside of a smaller process size is that manufacturing can become more difficult as components get smaller in size.
