For decades, chip design progress was measured by one core metric: how small you could make the features on a semiconductor. Smaller transistors meant faster switching speeds, greater energy efficiency, and more performance per unit area. It was the essence of Moore’s Law, a projection that transistor counts would double every two years. But today, the narrative is changing. Erik Hosler, a semiconductor consultant focused on advanced patterning and system-level integration, highlights a shift toward multidimensional innovation, where performance, scalability, and integration across materials and functions now collectively define a chip’s true potential.
This shift is not about abandoning Moore’s Law. Instead, it is about reinterpreting its goal through innovative technologies and new priorities. In the process, industry is discovering that raw transistor scaling is no longer the only, or even the primary, path to better computing.
The Shrinking Payoff of Shrinking Nodes
As chipmakers have moved from 14 nanometers to 7, to 5, and now even 3 nanometers, the benefits of each new node have diminished. Performance and power gains are now measured in single-digit percentages, while the costs and complexity of manufacturing rise steeply.
Each new node demands new materials, tighter tolerances, and more intensive process controls. Design rules multiply, making layout and verification more difficult. For many applications, especially at the edge or in cost-sensitive devices, the gains no longer justify the expense.
It is becoming clear that feature size, once the defining axis of chip development, is just one of many variables.
System Performance Over Transistor Counts
Modern chip design has developed from maximizing transistor density to maximizing system-level performance. That means focusing on how data moves, how energy is consumed, and how functionality is distributed across the die.
Architectures like chiplets, 3D stacking, and domain-specific accelerators are now leading the conversation. These approaches allow designers to mix components built on different nodes and even different process technologies to create optimized solutions. Performance is achieved through smarter design rather than simply smaller features.
The result is that chips no longer need to be built on the smallest available node to be competitive.
Memory and Interconnect Bottlenecks
A major constraint in current computing systems is not the transistor but the communication between transistors, especially between logic and memory. Memory access speed, bandwidth, and latency often determine overall system performance.
Technologies like high bandwidth memory, silicon interposers, and photonic interconnects are addressing these issues. These solutions allow faster data movement across chiplets or between stacked die layers, reducing delays and improving energy efficiency.
In this context, the focus shifts from shrinking transistors to optimizing how components interact. The bottleneck moves up the stack.
Photonics and MEMS Enter the Mainstream
Photonics and MEMS are two domains now playing a vital role in semiconductor advancement. Photonic components enable high-speed, low-power data transfer using light instead of electricity. That is especially important in large-scale systems such as data centers and AI accelerators.
MEMS components bring sensing and mechanical interaction into the chip domain. They allow real-time calibration, adaptive optics, and even environmental awareness on edge devices. Both technologies extend a chip’s capabilities, not by reducing feature size but by expanding functionality. They add dimensions to computing that cannot be achieved through lithographic scaling alone.
Rethinking the Metrics of Progress
For years, chip performance was measured in gigahertz, nanometers, or FLOPS. Today, more meaningful metrics might include performance per watt, throughput under real-world workloads, or inference time in AI models.
That is true in sectors like mobile, automotive, and consumer electronics, where user experience depends more on responsiveness and battery life than raw clock speed. As such, engineering teams are focusing on things like efficient power gating, dynamic voltage scaling, and hardware-software co-design.
All these improvements occur without needing smaller transistors.
A New View from the Fab
Even within manufacturing, the goalposts are shifting. Foundries are increasingly investing in platforms that support integration rather than just node advancement. It includes support for photonic components, MEMS structures, and heterogeneous assemblies.
These investments show that foundries recognize that the future lies not in a single metric but in a mix of capabilities. Processes are being designed for flexibility, allowing designers to choose the best combination of tools for a given problem.
Erik Hosler explains, “Finally, the solution to keeping Moore’s Law going may entail incorporating photonics, MEMS, and other new technologies into the toolkit.” His remark captures a growing sentiment in the industry. While feature size remains important, it no longer holds a monopoly on progress.
Design Tools Keep Pace
Another factor diminishing the emphasis on feature size is the power of design automation. Modern EDA tools use machine learning to optimize layout, simulate performance, and identify errors faster than ever before. These tools help engineers achieve better results on older nodes, closing the performance gap without shrinking transistors.
Design reuse, parameterized IP blocks, and modular verification strategies all support faster iteration and better optimization. These improvements are especially important for startups and small teams that cannot afford the overhead of leading-edge nodes.
By making the most of every transistor, superior design now often outweighs smaller transistors.
From Physics to Functionality
Moore’s Law originally relied on physics, the predictable behavior of electric fields, materials, and light. Today, progress often comes from functionality. Can a device support edge inference? Can it sense its environment and adapt? Can it connect directly to cloud infrastructure?
These questions are not answered by node size. They are answered by system integration, interdisciplinary design, and real-world application fit. In this way, the spirit of Moore’s Law is alive, but the execution is entirely different.
A Future Based on Inclusion, Not Just Reduction
The industry’s greatest shift may be philosophical thinking. For years, success meant reducing size. Now, it means including more. More functions. More adaptability. More system awareness.
Photonics and MEMS are not a departure from Moore’s Law. They are a continuation of their purpose through new means. By layering new capabilities onto foundational silicon, engineers are creating smarter, more capable chips that meet today’s challenges.
In that sense, we are not leaving Moore’s Law behind. We are following it down a new and more complex path.
The Meaning of Progress Has Changed
The obsession with feature size no longer reflects the diversity of innovation happening in semiconductors. While smaller transistors still matter in some contexts, they are not the primary lever for improvement. The industry is now defined by how well it blends hardware, software, materials, and design intelligence.
As modern technologies like photonics and MEMS are added to the toolkit, the idea of progress becomes richer and more layered. Moore’s Law lives on, not as a rule about size, but as a philosophy of continuous improvement. What matters most today is not how small we can make things but how much we can achieve with the space we have.
