The Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel Corp. has announced the beginning of what the company calls a "breakthrough" in high performance transistor design with the introduction of 16 new server and high-end PC processor chips.

Intel's co-founder, Gordon Moore, said that the new semiconductor technology the "biggest transistor advancements in 40 years."

The new devices are constructed with Intel's "Hafnium-based high-k metal gate (Hi-k)" and are the first processors to be manufactured with the semiconductor firm's 45-nanometer process.

Intel claims that the new formulation reduces electrical "leaks" and promotes energy conservation, is eco-friendly and increases processor speed.

"The intellects, physics and designs that went into solving one of the industry's most daunting challenges are awe-inspiring and I congratulate the Intel teams for this breakthrough achievement," said Paul Otellini, Intel's president and CEO.

The Hi-K processors are capable of clock speeds between 2 GHz and 3.2 GHz and run with side bus speeds of 1.6 MHz. Three dual-core chips in the new series feature clock speeds of up to 3.4 GHz.

The processors are expected to find application in digital video processing, especially in the area of high-definition Internet video.

"Its biggest impact is high-definition video," said Sean Maloney, Intel's chief sales and marketing officer.

The new 45-nanometer manufacturing process allows nearly twice as many transistors per chip as is possible with Intel's current 65-nanometer technology. The breakthrough would allow as many as 820 million transistors inside a single processor.