Chip maker Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) said its researchers have built a chip with 80 processing cores capable of more than a trillion calculations per second (teraflop).

The processor is not a commercial release but could point the way to more powerful processors, the firm said on Monday. The chip achieves performance on a piece of silicon no bigger than a fingernail, that 11 years ago required a machine with 10,000 chips inside it.

It points the way to the near future when Teraflop-capable designs will be commonplace and will reshape what we can all expect from our computers and the Internet at home and in the office, said Justin R. Rattner, Intel's chief technology officer.

Ten years ago, Intel achieved the same Teraflop performance Teraflop on the ASCI Red SuperComputer built for the Sandia National Laboratory. That feat required more than 2000 square feet and nearly 10,000 processors, as well as 500 kilowatts of electricity.

Intel researchers said today's new chip is able to handle the same amount of processing by consuming only 62 watts, less than some single-core processors today.

Intel shares dropped 16 cents, or 0.76 percent, to $20.87 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Intel Chip