Disassembling a CPU

So how does one reverse engineer the state of art integrated circuits, like the latest Intel CPUs? How costly is the hardware needed for such task?

You can take the CPU cover off with knife. Then you need some kind of magnifying glass to see individual connections. It is good idea to have a piece of paper and a pen with you, so that you can draw clear images of the circuit routes. It is very hard to memorize all of the connections without taking any notes.