So... IBM managed to stretch current lithography a little longer... in a lab.. and with RAM apparently...

Hmm.. show me a current CPU scaled to 22nm or shut up!

They don't even claim to be ahead of anyone ( though the article eludes to such ) - because they are probably merely on par w/ Intel.

What would have been interesting:

1. I.B.M. doing the above and licensing it to AMD

2. I.B.M. had a breakthrough and skipped 32nm

3. I.B.M. saying they would be releasing 22nm
....products to mass production first.

4. I.B.M. creating a 22nm at-home CPU generator,
....come up with a design and build it!

Speaking on point 4: Has anyone ever attempted to
make this possible? It seems it SHOULD be possible
to create a single integrated device which would build chips from input data and materials alone. It would certainly be a good way to get an early production chip made.

Sure it would cost a fortune

Also, let us not forget that I.B.M. has a poor record when it comes time to deliver. The mythical SOI on which AMD spent plenty of money they didn't have, was a major PITA for AMD, costing them dearly. SOI was supposed to end leaking transistors,

but AMD had more side-effects from all of the unknowns I.B.M. had never uncovered ( because they never seriously tested the process ) than they would have had just sticking to the same process for another generation and focusing on WHY transistors leak, rather than how to insulate them better.