Friday, January 6th 2012
World's Smallest Silicon Wire Leads To Atomic-Scale Computing, Moore's Law Continues
News of quantum breakthroughs seem to be coming every few months now, edging ever closer towards the hallowed goal of building a quantum computer using quantum qubits rather than classical bits and bringing colossal improvements in computational power. This will eventually lead to applications that we can't even imagine now and possibly a true artificial intelligence of the kind one sees in the movies. Also, it would allow calculations that would normally take longer than the lifetime of the universe on a classical computer to be made in just a few seconds or minutes on a quantum one. A goal well worth striving for.
The latest breakthrough comes from the University of New South Wales, Melbourne University and Purdue University who have developed the smallest wire yet. It's a silicon nanowire, having the tiny dimensions of just one atom high and four atoms wide. This is a feat in itself, but the crucial part is that the wire is able to maintain its resistivity even at this atomic level, making it far easier for current to flow, thereby preventing the tiny wire from becoming useless. This will help with the continuation of Moore's Law, giving us ever more powerful computers at the present rate and opens the door to quantum computing within the next decade.
TechEYE has a more detailed article about this development. This is based on an ABC Radio interview with Michelle Simmons from the University of New South Wales and makes for fascinating listening.
The latest breakthrough comes from the University of New South Wales, Melbourne University and Purdue University who have developed the smallest wire yet. It's a silicon nanowire, having the tiny dimensions of just one atom high and four atoms wide. This is a feat in itself, but the crucial part is that the wire is able to maintain its resistivity even at this atomic level, making it far easier for current to flow, thereby preventing the tiny wire from becoming useless. This will help with the continuation of Moore's Law, giving us ever more powerful computers at the present rate and opens the door to quantum computing within the next decade.
TechEYE has a more detailed article about this development. This is based on an ABC Radio interview with Michelle Simmons from the University of New South Wales and makes for fascinating listening.
53 Comments on World's Smallest Silicon Wire Leads To Atomic-Scale Computing, Moore's Law Continues
Think about it, our brains work at the quantum level, which gives us our "intelligence" and have billions of connections ie neurons. Quantum computers will allow us to emulate this in machine form and bring us incredible improvements in AI. Imagine playing something like Half-Life and actually talking with the characters in real time with them making real-time decisions over what happens next. Mind you, the AI might get pissed off at being trapped in a video game...
I tell ya, Skynet is closer than you think, so watch out for that terminator. :p
I will miss enemies that line up to let me shoot them though.
The entirety of the computer industry rests upon profit made from consumers.
As long as companies want to make money, newer and better technology will take a long time.
Now, what would be ideal, is if every government in the world completely disbands their military and uses the combined 100+ Trillion dollars towards the kind of technology mentioned in this editorial.
If this does not happen, out great-great-great grandchildren will hate us for holding back their civilization as much as we hate Christianity in the dark ages.
Computational power is the ONLY important thing in the universe.
Every single thing we as human being want takes us a measurable amount of time to create.
Infinitely powerful computers could do.. anything.
It's the only way we'll ever know or have anything of true value.
1.) Computers will become "smart" enough by the time I am not too old.
or
2.) Human scientists will find a way to prevent cell degradation by the time I am not too old, and/or reverse cell degradation by the time I die.
Im not anti government... I just hate being continually fucked by them and they still want more.
-that's all-
this
Humanity's ability to use them.. not so much.
But whatever, I don't mind if they fuck it up, as long as it exists.
only follow this link if you aren't an easily offended cabbage head, or just follow it and be offended, either way....NSFW
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkgDhDa4HHo
Have to start somewhere with the cull!
What a narrow minded and sad comment- go outside. All this "progress" comes with a cost.
If somebody offered me infinite computational power, but the world is so polluted I can't go outside and enjoy the countryside/mountains where I live in Wales, I would tell them to shove it.
Don't get me wrong, I love a new graphics card as much as the next enthusiast, but I don't take my sandy bridge out of it's socket every night to have a toss over it...
If I do get "tired" of living, I'd prefer to be put into a coma instead of die.
If you die, you can NEVER exist again. You can never think again. All that you are, in every possible way.. will be gone for all time.
I suppose I've never been able to accept that.
But you're right - I didn't mean that it was the only important thing.
Obviously, life and happiness are the only thing that is important. But with infinitely powerful computers, we could experience such things at magnitudes higher scales.