Aiming to capitalise on increasing demand for semiconductor chips with low power consumption, IBM is using high-K metal gate technology in its next generation 32nm computer chips.

The company's chip design scientists are pushing hard to give Intel a run for its money and shrink the size of a chip by up to 50 per cent, reducing power consumption by up to 45 per cent compared to the company's previous 45nm chips.

The new semiconductor chips are expected to deliver a longer battery life for mobile phones, and higher performance for personal computers.  IBM's higher frequency 4.7GHz Power6 processor is already in the production stage.

At an event organised by the Indian Semiconductor Association (ISA) on Friday, IBM director for semiconductor research and development David Harame called the High-K metal gate technology 'a game changer for the semiconductor industry'. Harame announced the release of design kits, and claimed that its alliance partners are ready to initiate manufacturing.

John Cohn, chief scientist of design automation and IBM fellow was also present at the event. Cohn claimed the company's application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design will improve path performance, as it has fewer low voltage cells. Cohn further described Big Blue’s plans to blend its microprocessor technology strength and ASIC technology on a common platform. X