As of 2023, the size of transistors in modern semiconductor technology has reached nanoscale dimensions. The most advanced commercial transistors, such as those used in some of the latest CPUs and GPUs, can be around 5 nanometers (nm) or even smaller.
To provide a broader context, transistor sizes have decreased significantly over the years:
- In the early 1970s, transistors were around 10 micrometers (µm) or larger.
- In the 1990s, sizes reached about 250 nm to 180 nm.
- By the mid-2000s, they were in the range of 90 nm to 65 nm.
- The trend toward smaller sizes has continued, with 32 nm, 22 nm, 14 nm, and now 5 nm technology nodes being developed and used in production.
Future developments may push sizes even smaller, potentially down to 3 nm or below, as innovations in materials and design continue to evolve.
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