The Death of the Silicon Computer Chip

Stony Stevenson sends a report from the Institute of Physics' Condensed Matter and Material Physics conference, where researchers predicted that the reign of the silicon chip is nearly over. Nanotubes and superconductors are leading candidates for a replacement; they don't mention graphene. "...the conventional silicon chip has no longer than four years left to run... [R]esearchers speculate that the silicon chip will be unable to sustain the same pace of increase in computing power and speed as it has in previous years. Just as Gordon Moore predicted in 2005, physical limitations of the miniaturized electronic devices of today will eventually lead to silicon chips that are saturated with transistors and incapable of holding any more digital information. The challenge now lies in finding alternative components that may pave the way to faster, more powerful computers of the future"

Re:I'll...

[somersault]

I always wondered why those implants felt like a bag of sand..

Re:Let them speculate ...

[Himring]

They can have my silicon chip when they pry it from my cold, dead, motherboard....

Wrong tag

[Mantaar]

This should really be tagged software, shouldn't it?

While we're at it, might add that Duke Bend'Em Forever tag, too...

Silicon most common? No.

[pleappleappleap]

I know I'm being a little pedantic, but Silicon is NOT the most common element in the Earth. It is the most common element in the CRUST of the Earth. The most common element of the Earth is Iron. The Earth is an impure ball of iron oxides.

Re:I'll...

[scubamage]

absolutely positively undeniably 100% wrong

I deny your reality and substitute my own ;)

Re:I'll...

[ColdWetDog]

I mean, you don't need a 1thz processor for a car's ECU, or for a garage door opener.

absolutely positively undeniably 100% wrong

sometime in the 1Thz-Garage-Door-Opener-Overlord-future:

GARAGE_OWNER: "Open the garage door please, Hal"

GARAGE_DOOR: "I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that.

You're saying that you want this sort of thing to happen? No thanks. I like my appliances simple and mute, thankyouverymuch.

Re:I'll...

[Zaatxe]

Grab a handful of tit ANYWHERE and a large portion will be silicone.

There, I fixed that for you.

Re:The personal automobile is dead

[Robotbeat]

Wait, so does that mean that The Singularity won't happen?!? Say it ain't so! I was so looking forward to the Nerd Rapture by our friend, the Computer!

Re:I'll...

[speculatrix]

this being slashdot, I'd like to inform most readers the parent is referring to the mammaries of the human female, which a small number of you will encounter privately in person and not just via pr0n websites or viewing through a pair of binoculars.