Spelunking in the data mine: on data mining as an analysis tool for the optimization of microprocessor speed

Abstract

inexorable.. .as microprocessor speeds pass two gigahertz, semiconductor manufacturers must wring all the available microprocessor speed from existing processes by any means possible. These means include designed experimentation and analysis of tightly controlled processes, many of which are approaching physical limits. Some questions an engineer must face when confronted with optimizing a 400-operation process is: At which operation to begin, and what factors in that operation influence what responses in the process? Then, after defined optimization projects have been completed: Have all the available opportunities for optimization been exhausted?