Intel Targeting 22nm Chips by 2011
Big things are getting smaller.
Just after Intel was proud to show off its 32nm wafer for its Westmere processor, the world's largest chipmaker today brought out the first working chips built on the 22nm process.
Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini took to the stage with 22nm test circuits that include both SRAM memory as well as logic circuits to be used in future Intel microprocessors.
"At Intel, Moore's Law is alive and thriving," said Otellini. "We've begun production of the world's first 32nm microprocessor, which is also the first high-performance processor to integrate graphics with the CPU. At the same time, we're already moving ahead with development of our 22nm manufacturing technology and have built working chips that will pave the way for production of still more powerful and more capable processors."
Each individual die from the 22nm wafer contained 364 million bits of SRAM memory and has more than 2.9 billion transistors packed into an area the size of a fingernail.
Intel said that production chips using the 22nm process should be ready for the second half of 2011.
Update: Video of the announcement now embedded below:

^I'd say around Christmas or earlier.
Eh? It says 2011 because it IS 2011. All of Intel's die shrinks on its new tick-tock model have been introduced in fall of an odd year. Penryn (2007), Westmere (2009) and Ivy Bridge (2011).
Wow, you're serious. Here, read something: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/by
In this article the word 'by' is used as meaning "no later than" or no later than 2011. The year 2011 is not an instant so therefore the second half of 2011 is still considered as 2011.
Compare, why would the wording:
"By the end of"
exist if
"By..."
Meant the same thing? "By the end of the day" or "By today". "By the end of the week", or "By this week". Since the date/time/year here are arbitrary and don't contribute a context, please explain to me that this is how you speak in normal life.
You: by 2011 = before 2011
Dictionary: by 2011 = no later than 2011
I can see how by your definition you think Marcus is wrong but the dictionary agrees with him. End of conversation.
If you're on-time, you're late
If you're late, don't show up."
i7 9xx has 700m transistors, 8meg of cache.
so in two years will have 4 times the transistors and 5 times the cache?
guess i'll upgrade then (if gpgpu hasn't completely destroyed any reason to have a powerful cpu, on the other hand these chips would be mighty awesome in larrabee too.)
Apparently there is an issue with quantum tunneling. I herd a year or so ago that someone had figured out away to reliably predict how small you can make it before you get quantum tunneling, so if they don't find away around that they may indeed hit a brick wall.
Whatever. The 45nm are still new and no rush to put 22nm out too fast. They are making memory chips, as usual. We won't be seeing any complex CPUs using 22nm for 2 years... which is about right.