For decades, computer performance has been driven largely by the increasing numbers of ever-smaller transistors squeezed into the machines' silicon brains.

Now, the world's leading semiconductor companies have unveiled a remarkably similar strategy for working around the problem: In 2005, microprocessors sold for personal computers will sprout what amounts to two heads each.

Instead of building processors with a single core to handle calculations, designers will place two or more computing engines on a single chip. They won't run as fast as single-engine models, but they won't require as much power, either, and will be able to handle more work at once.

Read the complete story here. (Seattle Post Intelligencer)