How does reducing transistor increase CPU performance?

As technology progresses we are able to make each circuit or transistor smaller. Allowing us to fit physically more transistors in a giving space. The decrease in transistor size is faster than the performance increase we require. Giving us a trend where chips get physically smaller and smaller.

Why we need to make transistors smaller?

Scientists and engineers keep finding ways to make them smaller, so they can fit more of them on a single chip. The more transistors they can fit on a chip, the faster the computer can run, practically. At that point, transistors are so small that quantum effects prevent them from working properly.

How does CPU lithography affect performance?

A processor normally contains a lot of micro ICs and capacitors that store the charges. Well, the lithography decides how small will be these components and the distance between them. The smaller the components, the lesser will be the power required and less will be the TDP(thermal power design).

Should we build larger transistors or smaller ones?

So it might seem like it would force us to build larger transistors, rather than smaller ones. However, for two reasons, we could keep chips the same size and deliver more processing power, shrink chips while providing the same power, or, potentially both.

How does the number of transistors in a CPU affect performance?

The more transistors, the more switches. When you deal with the same problem, the more routes you choose, the more looped lines. Similarly, the more transistors a CPU has, the more branches current flows in a unit of time. From a macro perspective, the more data you can process on the CPU, the faster the machine.

Can we shrink chips and keep them the same size?

However, for two reasons, we could keep chips the same size and deliver more processing power, shrink chips while providing the same power, or, potentially both. First, a photonic chip needs only a few light sources, generating photons that can then be directed around the chip with very small lenses and mirrors.

What are transistors and how do they work?

Transistors—tiny electrical switches—are the fundamental unit that drives all the electronic gadgets we can think of. As they get smaller, they also get faster and consume less electricity to operate. In the technology world, one of the biggest questions of the 21st century is: How small can we make transistors?