The company previously announced that it had delivered its high-speed system-on-chip (SOC) integrated circuits to leading manufacturers of PC motherboards in Southeast Asia for evaluation, prior to a full worldwide rollout. (See “From the Wires” story on the home page.)

(August 30, 2004) Ithaca, N.Y.&#8212Time is fast running out for the semiconductor industry as transistors become ever smaller and their insulating layers of silicon dioxide, already only atoms in thickness, reach maximum shrinkage. In addition, the thinner the silicon layer becomes, the greater the amount of chemical dopants that must be used to maintain electrical contact. And the limit here also is close to being reached.