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
Go enjoy the life you have, be thankful that you have it. myabe log off warcraft once a week.
here is a picture for you to better understand why we're "suddenly" coming up against these problems.
www.transitioncygnet.org/bits/special/world.population.history.gif
maybe visual aids can help. very simple to follow. we made more just cause it was the thing to do.... now it's not and we need to switch gears, or it won't be some "elite" force that comes to choose who lives and dies. it will be your neighbours out of necessity and scarcity of food, money and water. of course IF technology shows up that can magically wave a wand to fix the issue great we live another day, but magic solutions are for morons, and morons shouldn't be given the choice of whether or not to uncontrollably overpopulate the world and take everyone down with them.
( Bit creepy calling a 33 year old "son" dont you think :) )
Sounds fair :)
you want to duplicate yourself into extinction?
regardless, i'm happy to make the un-popular observation for people like you who are too beligerant in how awesome you think you are to bother to look at what damage you do, or to even see the problem for an issue at all. it's nice that i can shed some light at all on it regardless of how dim the person viewing the words are.
whats your solution to overpopulation? just cross your fingers hope tech works it out, or is teh jebus coming to fix things cause you like a book?
gotta love TPU at times:
Tech breakthrough!
sexbots!
skynet!
YOU MUST DIE
^ guess which ones skynet, folks?
You really sound like you could do with some meds dude.
Now something that is conductive @ 4 atoms wide :eek:
I love computer science maybe one day I will understand it better
I think such robots would cause a massive population decrease as people would prefer to spend their lives with a robot (if it became accepted) rather than a human.
There would be much less in the way of prostitution too.
This would also work for females as well.
But of course there will be the nay sayers.
Parents who wish their child to be a parent as well.
Except of course, for the brand new Church Of Kopimism. ;) Just read that New Scientist interview to see what I mean.
At this rate in 2012 really could be end of the world.
But honestly, great job. I imagine what cool computer games will be on quantum computers.