How Nanotechnology Will Kill Silicon Transistors

By 2035, all of Earth’s energy resources will be used to keep our computers running, according to the Semiconductor Research Corporation. This is a problem that looms large and can only be solved by shifting away from a reliance in our current system to more scalable systems that reduce our reliance on electric power.

This faulty system is the microprocessor. Once upon a time, the microprocessor seemed like a miracle, increasing in speed year after year. In reality, Moore’s Law, which asserts that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit doubles every two years, was one half of the miracle. More transistors meant smaller transistors, which allowed for a continual boost in clock speed.

The other half of the miracle, was a concept called Dennard’s Scaling. One would assume that adding more transistors would require more power, but this not the case. The amount of power needed always stays constant — no matter how many transistors you add. So what’s the problem? How can there be an energy crisis if Well, the problem is Physics. Moore’s law is slowing down and the wealth of transistors is sucking energy.

I remember a professor of mine lambasting Intel for their block-headed approach towards their chip making process, saying something to the effect of, “They just cram a bunch of transistors into their…