Physicist predicts Moore's Law will collapse in about 10 years

Shawn Knight

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Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku has posted a video discussing the collapse of Moore’s Law in about 10 years or so. Physicists have been predicting the end of Moore’s Law for quite some time but Kaku’s reasoning and the slowing down of processing power that we already see today lends some credibility to his claims.

For those unfamiliar, Moore’s Law pertains to computer hardware, stating that the number of transistors that can be placed on an integrated circuit board can be doubled roughly every two years. You’ve probably alternately heard of an 18-month time frame tossed around. This modified cycle can be credited to Intel executive David House, not Moore.

Kaku says that in about 10 years, silicon power will be exhausted. Intel has already admitted that Moore’s Law is slowing down using silicon which is one of the reasons that we are seeing Tri-Gate transistors used in Ivy Bridge CPUs – an effort to try and extend the effective life of silicon.

The problem, Kaku says, is two-fold: heat and leakage. Today’s Intel processors have a layer that is almost down to 20 atoms across. When this layer is shrunk down to around five atoms across, “it’s all over.” At this point, the heat that is generated will be so intense that the chip will melt. The other concern is leakage, meaning we simply wouldn’t know where the electron is anymore.

So what’s in store for computing in the post-silicon era? Multiple proposals have been laid out, including but not limited to optical computers, protein computers, DNA computers, molecular computers and quantum computers.

The latter two solutions seem to be the most commonly accepted “future computers” but both solutions still present enormous challenges that must be conquered. Molecular computers already exist but mass production and wiring up the tiny molecules remains an issue.

Quantum computing is even more finicky with the world record for a quantum computing calculation being: 3 x 5 = 15. As Kaku explains, it doesn’t sound very impressive until you realize it was proven using only five atoms.

Wrapping it all up, Kaku predicts that scientists will tweak Moore’s Law in the next 10 years to extend its life. After that, molecular computers will likely take over followed by quantum computers later in the 21st century.

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Graphene is the future

Grapheme // Silicine (or Silicine / Silicene or something) at first then late this century we will see large breakthroughs in Quantum Computing which will destroy all known architectures (although maybe in far future we will see something different which will put everything in shame).
 
Artix, "maybe in far future we will see something different which will put everything in shame."
Bro, you are so smart, I gotta subscribe to your Tweeter feed.
 
Moore's Law is a complete misnomer. It's not a law at all. By definition, laws are constant, proven, and unending. The Law of Gravity, for instance.

That is not the case with Moore's "Law". Moore's "Challenge" might be more appropriate, or Moore's "Temporary Posit". Moore's Law doesn't exist because it's not a law.

It's rather embarrassing that tech sites continue to perpetuate this nonsense. Makes the industry look bad. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this before.
 
I don't know if I remember right but I think exactly the same was said 15 years ago.
 
Moore's Law is a complete misnomer. It's not a law at all. By definition, laws are constant, proven, and unending. The Law of Gravity, for instance.

That is not the case with Moore's "Law". Moore's "Challenge" might be more appropriate, or Moore's "Temporary Posit". Moore's Law doesn't exist because it's not a law.

It's rather embarrassing that tech sites continue to perpetuate this nonsense. Makes the industry look bad. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this before.

Because it is yet to fail as a law...
 
I guess neither of you read Max Planck's theories. Neither the Theory of Equilibrium. If there exists matter, there has to be equal magnitude of antimatter to counter the force it exerts on the dimension containing it. This theory, however, does not explain why the universe exists then, as the antimatter created by the big bang should have canceled out the matter created. So another theory, the Reverse World, was proposed. So the two contrasting entities need not be in the same plane. In other words, they are two sides of the same coin, and neither can be accessed while on the other side. You can only be in one at one time.
 
I guess neither of you read Max Planck's theories. Neither the Theory of Equilibrium. If there exists matter, there has to be equal magnitude of antimatter to counter the force it exerts on the dimension containing it. This theory, however, does not explain why the universe exists then, as the antimatter created by the big bang should have canceled out the matter created. So another theory, the Reverse World, was proposed. So the two contrasting entities need not be in the same plane. In other words, they are two sides of the same coin, and neither can be accessed while on the other side. You can only be in one at one time.
Or you could simply not bother to go on thinking, or worrying about it at all. Just take a nice deep breath, run along, and go break your head with string theory......

Artix, "maybe in far future we will see something different which will put everything in shame."
Bro, you are so smart, I gotta subscribe to your Tweeter feed.
Oddly, it had just the opposite effect on me. I was suddenly overcome by the urge to close my "Tweeter account". Then silly me realized I've never opened one....Wow, dodged a bullet there, dids't I not?
 
and oneday, binary became a 2
Don't you worry about being able to count all the way to two! When pocket sized super colliders are needed to power quantum computing iPhones, Apple will be there to supply them. If you sign up for Apple care, they'll send somebody to your house to teach you how to count to two. Then they'll track your dumb a** all over the globe using your phone's radioactive signature.

Aw, I'm jus' kiddin'. Yoo know that don't cha?
 
I think you meant, Facebook will be there to track you all over the globe.
Look, in the future, if you don't have a quantum iPhone, then you don't have a Quantum iPhone.

And why would anybody want to limit their Quantum iPhone....?

It's daybreak here, so let's make that our, "thought for the day", shall we?

Go Facebook....! Go FIOS....! YAY....1
 
Everything will collapse when people will realise they live in Matrix
 
Because it is yet to fail as a law...

The 'theory' of evolution hasn't failed yet either. And anyway.... Moore's Principle states that the number of transistors can be doubled roughly every two years. Roughly? As in 'about' every two years? There aren't any estimations in laws.

Or you could simply not bother to go on thinking, or worrying about it at all. Just take a nice deep breath, run along, and go break your head with string theory......
As much I enjoy the wonderful string theory and all its beautiful 11 dimensions or whatever, someone taught me once that science is either measurable or observable.
 
I think its become less of a guideline on predicting growth and more of a sales plan. Whats stopping them from making a 16 core processor?
 
Moore's "Law" hasn't failed.....so far......because tech has been pushing forward. But it can fail, all the companies have to do it simply not update the tech. Whether they will do that is another story, but the fact is the "law" can easily fail by inaction. That, by definition, is not a "law". The Law of Gravity simply exists, where you are around or not. It is constant. Inaction will not change it. Moore's "Law" cannot fulfill this requirement, and as such, it's not a law. It's more of a "challenge" or a "belief". But it does not measure up as a law, and people should stop calling it that; it's simply foolish hype. The irony is laughable.
 
Heat, eh? That can be solved in other ways, e.g. high TC superconductors. There are people studying it downstairs here as I type.
 
Why are you guys talking about whether or not this should be considered a law? Laws are dropped or modified everyday, when they are no longer relevant. Moore's Law is no different from all the other laws, it will remain a law until it is no longer relevant.
 
The 'theory' of evolution hasn't failed yet either.
YES, it has.....!

Those of us that aren't inbred, (and those individuals are legion), are too smart for our own good. Then there's the much more durable cockroach.

Listen, it's been dull here @ TS for a bit. Let's do something fun. We could set the entire Amazon rain forest on sale, and sell it for charcoal.
As much I enjoy the wonderful string theory and all its beautiful 11 dimensions or whatever, someone taught me once that science is either measurable or observable.
Yet still, don't you think I would keep "Marnomancer" from prattling about more than 1, but less than 11 dimensions, at least for a time...?
 
funny how one of the most mathematically complete theories known to man suggests there is an infinite number of universes....and that makes fairies inevitable? And here we are making assumptions one way or the other while we think we know we are right.... yea...
 
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