Transistors have shrunk over the decades, from an initial 10,000 nanometers (nm) in 1971 to 5nm in 2020. The 2nm transistors on IBM’s new chip, which is essentially a circuit of connected transistors, are much smaller than the eye can detect. The width of a human hair is 100,000nm; a red blood cell about 7,000nm; a strand of DNA about 2.5nm. Size matters: The smaller the transistors, the more fit on a chip, improving efficiency.

Semiconductor chips hold the data needed for us to use our computers, cellphones, appliances, cameras, and cars. As the pandemic spurred a massive transition to remote work, increasing our reliance on computers, it fueled even more of a necessity for chips—and also helped precipitate a global chip shortage.

IBM’s 2-Nanometer chip is equipped with 50 billion transistors, each smaller than a strand of DNA, and could potentially reduce the energy use of electronics by 75%