Intel on Monday officially unveiled its 45nm chips at a media event in San Francisco, claiming another victory for Moore's law (see video below).

Penryn, as the 45nm technology is known, isn't just another step on Moore's law. Intel had to overcome a major barrier to curb power leakage which essentially forced it to reinvent the transistor.

13 Nov 2007

The chipmaker went through the entire periodic table to look for materials that would work, and eventually ended up with Hafnium (pictured above) and other other, undisclosed materials. The result is a major victory that allows Intel to bring out 45nm chips months before its competitors.