If certain technological hurdles can be cleared, processors running at a mind-boggling 20 gigahertz could be commercially available in the next eight years.

But what does that mean for the companies producing the chips? Mastering lots of arcane technology and lots of headaches for the research department. It's not just about transistors anymore: Tantalum oxide chip gates, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, new microarchitecture and better insulation are some of the developments that will come to the microprocessor arena in the next decade so that chips can continue to increase in performance according to Moore's law, Intel researchers said this week. The oft-quoted Moore's law states that microprocessors double in power approximately every 18 months, the prediction of Intel cofounder Gordon Moore. In addition to technology hurdles, Intel is also working on the other problem with multi-GHz chips: namely, what to do with them. The company is increasing its investments in applications, such as visual recognition software and other input devices, so that people will be able to take advantage of chip power, said Fred Pollack, director of measurement, architecture and planning for Intel's microprocessor products group. More chip families will likely result as well.