[obfuscate]

> D) This is trivially, factually incorrect. A 3GHz P4 is cheaper today (in absolute or relative terms) than it was when it was brand new. A Core 2 Duo will give you better performance/dollar than a P4 (which was better than a P3, which was better than a PII, etc).

The parent mentioned the cost of "fabricating that technology", not of processors themselves; this is vague, but AFAIK, fabs are getting more expensive quickly.

[smanek]

The cost of the fab is reflected in the cost of the chip, since it's necessarily amortized over the production of the fab (for a profitable company/fab).

[Retric]

FYI: The cost of building the fab is already a significant percentage of the cost of building chips.

"The increase in cost and complexity is encapsulated in Rock's Law, which dictates that fab construction costs double every four years. That law is itself tightly connected to the better-known Moore's Law, which dictates that the number of transistors on a chip doubles every two years." (http://news.cnet.com/A-fab-construction-job/2100-1001_3-9810...)

"By 2007, the price of building a fab is expected to reach $6 billion."

$6 billion * 2 ^ 10 = 6 trillion in 20 years.