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This is an interesting case of the relationship between abundant and scarce resources. It used to be that transistors were scarce, so using the silicon in order
by silvio 17y ago
This is an interesting case of the relationship between abundant and scarce resources. It used to be that transistors were scarce, so using the silicon in order to pack them well was the optimization goal. Nowadays, transistors reached a point of zero cost, but yield and the process nodes to make them are incredibly expensive, therefore, you get "wasted" silicon.
In programming, this is akin to programming in assembly, when no cycle can be spared, versus programming in the highest available language, when the programmer's attention and productivity is scarce.
- soundsop 17y agoI don't see how transistors can be zero cost and at the same time be incredibly expensive. Without the dummy devices you actually would not be able to pack them as close, so the dummy devices actually help achieve the goal of higher density.
- joezydeco 17y agoWhat about compilers that stick in NOPs to keep pipelines in sync?