1.21 Gigawatts? Great Scott!

In an experiment presumably designed to cause feelings of inadequacy in PC gamers, IBM and Georgia Tech have successfully run a silicon chip at the staggering speed of 500GHz. To approach the maximum speed of silicon-germanium chips, researchers ran the test at a temperature of -451 degrees Fahrenheit. At normal temperatures, the SiGe chip runs at speeds of 350GHz, still far superior to current consumer level technology.

To that end, IBM and Georgia Tech scientists turned down the temperature and cryogenically froze the chip at minus 451 F. It's about as cold as things get. An extremely cold temperature like that is found naturally only in outer space, but can be artificially achieved on Earth using ultracold materials such as liquid helium. Absolute zero comes at minus 459 F.

Theoretically, it is speculated that a SiGe chip could reach a mind-boggling maximum speed of approximately 1 terahertz. Such chips could be used in military or space exploration purposes. It is unclear whether they will be brought to market in time for the release of Crytek's Crysis.