IBM Creates Faster Chipset

IBM created a new silicon chipset that will allow wireless devices to work 10 times faster than current WiFi networks.

Using the company’s chip-making technology called silicon germanium, the chipset is able to send and receive information in the 30 to 300 GHz range.

"In the past, wireless has always lagged in speed compared to wired communications, making it frustrating for users who want to enjoy the same access and applications regardless of where they are," said Dr. T.C. Chen, vice president of Science and Technology at IBM Research. "This new technology has the capability to reduce or eliminate this ‘download divide,’ realizing the full potential of wireless communications and changing the way we live."

Some applications using the technology include wireless personal area networks for intra-office communications in areas less than 10 meters. Personal area networks are designed to support wireless Gigabit Ethernet, wireless display, wireless docking station, and synchronization of PDAs with desktops and laptops.

The silicon germanium technology also allows the chipset module to include the receiver, the transmitter and two antennas in a space about the size of a dime. By combining the chipset and antennas in commercial integrated circuit packages, companies build it into their commercial products with no additional retooling or retraining.