The technology giant's boss Jensen Huang called the move the "reinvention of the computer".

IBM's latest chip packs in twice as many transistors as the current state-of-the-art chip by adding a second layer of silicon circuitry

In recent years, computer chip performance has bumped up against the physical limitations of the space available on integrated circuits.

Silicon chip that integrates both imaging sensors and data compression, shown next to a U.S. penny and resting on grains of sand. This chip was co-designed by Argonne and SLAC. (Image by Antonino Miceli/Argonne National Laboratory.) When X-rays or ...

While neither company has publicly discussed the deal, it would be a big break for Intel, which sold a 10 percent stake to the U.S. government last year.