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From: mangler@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (Don Speck)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Micro 2000
Summary: it will melt
Message-ID: <12241@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: 15 Oct 89 08:13:46 GMT
References: <6415@pt.cs.cmu.edu>
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Lines: 21

In article <6415@pt.cs.cmu.edu>, lindsay@MATHOM.GANDALF.CS.CMU.EDU (Donald Lindsay) writes:
> Specifically, the hot chip they expect (the "Micro 2000") is:
> 250 MHz
> 0.1 micron minimum device geometries
> one square inch
> 3.3 or 2.5 V power supply
> "innovative refrigeration techniques may be needed"

Power consumption depends on the product of:
    clock rate (6.25 times the i860)
    active silicon area (4 times the i860)
    capacitance per unit area (dielectrics 4 times as thin as i860)
    power supply voltage (1/2 of i860)
    duty factor of signals (probably similar amount of pipelining)

This predicts that the "Micro 2000" will draw 50 times the amperage
of the i860.  Hot chip indeed.

To bring this much current 1 cm into the chip on 1-cm wide aluminum
with a 0.2V drop, the aluminum will have to be 5 microns thick
(thickness 50 times the width of the narrowest underlying wires).