Information about AMD’s new SOI-transistor

In a press release from AMD earlier today we were told that the company has both manufactured and demonstrated a new SOI-transistor (Silicon-on-Insulator). This new technology is up to 30% faster than today’s PMOS-transistors (P-channel metal-oxide semiconductor) and is the key to more successful AMD processors.

Rumours were circulating about the SOI-transistor already before the announcement of AMD’s Barton core but the technology turned out to be not 100% ready. The latest rumour about using SOI-transistors in AMD processors was with the Hammer core.

This was partly wrong; Hammer will use “Partially Depleted Silicon-on-Insulator”-transistors until the “Fully Depleted Silicon-on-Insulator” technology is completely ready. Even if today’s press release is very positive we should not expect SOI-transistors earlier than the launch of Hammer. Hopefully we will not have to wait very long, but delays are somehow associated with the Hammer-core.