[tcdent]

Fab node size is not the only factor in performance. Physical limits were reached, and we're pulling back from the extremely small stuff for the time being. That is the evolutionary part.

Revolutionary developments are: multi-layer wafer bonding, chiplets (collections of interconnected wafers) and backside power delivery. We don't need the transistors to keep getting physically smaller, we need more of them, and at increased efficiency, and that's exactly what's happening.

[dotancohen]

All that comes with linear increases of heat, and exponential difficulty of heat dissipation (square-cube law).

There is still progress being made in hardware, but for most critical components it's looking far more logarithmic now as we're approaching the physical material limits.