The Future of the CPU?

[adonlude]

Hi guys, I have been briefly trying to research the future of CPU's and personal computing beyond die shrinks and I am not finding much so I wanted to stop in here and ask if any of you could point me in the right direction. We have 45nm cpu's at the moment and the laws of physics will not allow much beyond about 20nm so it becomes obvious that this cycle of die shrink fueled performance increases will be comming to an end probably around 2015-2020. What lies beyond? What current research is underway? Are Intel and AMD going to change from pioneering growth companies to benign manufacturing plants?

I have read about quantum computing but I don't yet see how that applies to personal computing. I appreciate any direction you can give me.

Thanks!

 

[yadge]

I'm not really sure, but I think I've heard a little bit about fiberoptics, or using lasers or soemthing. I don't really remember.

 

[50bmg]

Yadge has read or heard the same thing i have read about. It was a few weeks ago, so i dont remember the link. It was about a large company, maybe IBM, working with lasers. Using them similar to fiber optics. They were getting some crazy performance, like a 250x faster. Sorry for the terrible paraphrasing, but it was before the holidays.

 

[Grimmy]

IBM breakthrough, one step closer to optical computers

 

[cnumartyr]

Yadge has read or heard the same thing i have read about. It was a few weeks ago, so i dont remember the link. It was about a large company, maybe IBM, working with lasers. Using them similar to fiber optics. They were getting some crazy performance, like a 250x faster. Sorry for the terrible paraphasing, but it was before the holidays.

I don't have the link..

But yes, it's a move away from electrical and to fiber optics inside the computer. It is much faster and would generate less heat. Electricity does not move at the speed of light.

Should be interesting in the next few years where we see things headed.

 

[rallyimprezive]

Also check out leech brains.

You think Im kidding, but some scientists have used leech brain cells to process information.

If you are trying to get info for a report or something, it could provide some engaging content.

Also look into liquid polymer memory.

 

[badgtx1969]

Also check out leech brains.

You think Im kidding, but some scientists have used leech brain cells to process information.

If you are trying to get info for a report or something, it could provide some engaging content.

Also look into liquid polymer memory.

^Living neural networks, quite a bit of research is going on with neurons on biochips. Just not quite sure if cells can ever replace silicon/solid state due to their length scales - the required living chips would be much larger than the processors we know today. Neurons are on the order of 10s of microns whereas their processes (axons/neurites) can be sub micron in width and 100s of microns long (even cm).

 

[LAN_deRf_HA]

Ballistic Deflection Transistor (BDT) processors would offer terahertz speeds at a tenth the heat generation and power usage. Unfortunately they have a bunch of idiots trying to turn it into a completely new architecture that will favor investor companies. Since it is going to be using certain technologies in partnerships with certain companies it will not only be getting snuffed out by Intel and AMD but now just about every chipset maker out there.

 

[grieve]

I watched a ultra nerdy nerdy show the other day regarding absolute zero (-273K)

The interesting thing is at -272.999999999K a matter is formed (Bose-Einstein condensed ) they showed Bose-Einstein condensed can slow down light without manipulating it, also they briefly mentioned the possibility of its use for processor technologies.

**to make a long story short Bose-Einstein condensed is Atoms moving very slowly as one unit apposed to individuals…. Atoms lose their identity.

Of course the use of Bose-Einstein condensed in the future is mostly speculation at this point, it surely will find its way into our processors at some point….When, who knows?

If you google Bose-Einstein condensed; processor you can find a lot of interesting things about it.

 

[monst0r]

I watched a ultra nerdy nerdy show the other day regarding absolute zero (-273K)

The interesting thing is at -272.999999999K a matter is formed (Bose-Einstein condensed ) they showed Bose-Einstein condensed can slow down light without manipulating it, also they briefly mentioned the possibility of its use for processor technologies.

**to make a long story short Bose-Einstein condensed is Atoms moving very slowly as one unit apposed to individuals…. Atoms lose their identity.

Of course the use of Bose-Einstein condensed in the future is mostly speculation at this point, it surely will find its way into our processors at some point….When, who knows?

If you google Bose-Einstein condensed; processor you can find a lot of interesting things about it.

hm...wouldn't that be C not K
it would be about 0.0000000000000001K, but anyway, interesting

 

[adonlude]

Aweseom guys! You have given me plenty of key words to keep me busy for awhile. I have hit a lull at work here and I have some time on my hands so I honestly just wanted to research for entertainment. I am an electrical engineer so this type of stuff remains interesting to me. My father also holds stock in a CPU company so I thought the research might provide direction there too.

Thanks again!

 

[johng24601]

I've heard about reaching 20-50 GHz by going to 3D transistors.
Here are a few links to the 3d transistor articles:

http://www.huliq.com/44190/unisantis-institute-microelectronics-develop-3d-transistor-singapore

http://www.megagames.com/news/html/hardware/3dtransistorspromise50ghzprocessors.shtml

I've heard something about switching from silicon to graphite too.

 

[grieve]

monst0r you are absolutely right... I was too lazy to look up the 0.0000000000000001K so I took a guess in Celsius... I suppose I should have put -272.999999999C(approximately)

 

[adonlude]

Started on the BDT first. Here is a good article FYI: http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/general/ballistic-deflection-transistor-clocks-terahertz-speeds

 

[benzene]

I don't have the link..

Electricity does not move at the speed of light.

Strictly speaking nor does light, when travelling down a fibre optic cable

 

[bc4]

I watched the same nerdy show and had the same thought as Benzene...

Slowing light down is no big deal. Light always travels slower when traveling through a medium (read: not a vacuum)

At least thats what I remember from Physics class

 

[starcraftfanatic]

technically, nothing's a vacuum

 

[djcoolmasterx]

50+ years time: Organic brain computer! Eventually leading to the use of networked human brains to create large self maintaining networks that will continue to expand and eventually remove individual identies into one global collective conscience that will continue to advance at an expinential rate...

I for one welcome our new biological super computer overlords.

 

[Evilonigiri]

I was thinking quantum computers.

You know, instead of the usual 0 and 1 binary digits, quantum pc uses electron spin, which is either up or down.

 

[fletch420]

while they may not be as far reaching as you want, there are acouple of technologies that are coming to the front over the next 10 years to keep silicon based transistor technology going.

tri gate transistors
carbon nanotubes

Theres numerous other new great ideas being explored at the graduate school level and thats where all of this ends up coming from.

good luck

 

[jamesro]

time to start investing??

 

[crazywheels]

how about you guys just worry about now, and not about the future. yes there is a lot of research on all of the possibilities of future technologies. We have no idea whats going to happen in 10 years. yes there are always stuff in the news, tv, movies, magazines, but what about the research that you haven't heard about. I don't know if you guys have realized that this entire world revolves around some sort of currency. Just cause it is the best product doesn't mean it will make. the person with the most money wins

 

[rallyimprezive]

how about you guys just worry about now, and not about the future. yes there is a lot of research on all of the possibilities of future technologies. We have no idea whats going to happen in 10 years. yes there are always stuff in the news, tv, movies, magazines, but what about the research that you haven't heard about. I don't know if you guys have realized that this entire world revolves around some sort of currency. Just cause it is the best product doesn't mean it will make. the person with the most money wins

Dude, you completely missed the purpose of this thread.

Go discuss money driven objectives in the Intel vs AMD threads.

 

[chengbin]

I'm gonna bump this thread. So after a year do we have any progress? Does anyone know the ETA for one of those claimed "revolutionary" CPUs to appear on market?

 

[sanchz]

I heard about using a new material, graphene, derived from graphite instead of silicon, which could theoretically rach the Tera Hertz speed (1000 GHz!!!). I think Intel is into it... as well as IBM.

Another thing I read about is probabilistic processing, in which answers are "guessed" instead of processed completely, I think. These CPUs should consume much less and work much faster... but I don't quite like the idea of having a piece of hardware that may guess incorrectly...

http://technomindz.blogspot.com/2009/03/graphene-processor-chips-to-reach.html
http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/02/08/rice.university.pcmos/

Lol, I've calculated that, according to moore's law, by 2030 CPUs will have KILO-CORES!!! And by 2050, they'll have MEGA-CORES...