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Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2002 8:26 pm
by Nestor
The war of CPUs…
Where are we going to by next year? How much power do you think are we going to reach by 2003?
I bet 5GHs! And again, a completely new technology! ”What do you think?
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2002 9:17 pm
by kensuguro
Well, I just read that Intel's got a new thang going on with their 5 atoms thick conducters.. man, this is like, nano-technology.. Wiait 'till they start using 1 atom thick wiring... That'll be like ultimate.. and we're only 4 atoms away. Wow, sounds like sci-fi to me.
I'm not sure if 1 atom, has the energy to bond tho.. maybe the smallest possible is 2 atoms? Cuz you don't want the atoms to just suddenly burst away as soon as you process something.... and if they fly away fast enough, you've got an atom bomb or something.
Not that's a CPU war!!
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2002 9:18 pm
by garyb
then flesh becomes extinct........
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2002 9:29 pm
by Nestor
I want an atomic CPU
Sorry about my ignorance Ken, but... what are you takling about? I don't understand a thing...
Can you explain a bit?
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2002 9:36 pm
by wayne
he's talking teensy-weensy little switches and wires in a cpu, and lots of 'em.
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2002 10:12 pm
by kensuguro
ya.. Since a CPU is like a bunch of wiring, and essentially a circuit, the less amount of energy needed to send electric signals through the wires = faster CPU.
The thing is, the more material a burst ofelectricity has to travel through, the more lossy it gets (because of resistance). So to get around that, you use less material, and make smaller circuits, so that the electricity can burst through it without much loss. Just like in music! a 10 meter audio cable is going to be noisy whereas a 5 meter one is nearly noise free. But with CPUs, it's 10 atoms thick, versus 5 atoms thick.. what a small scale...
And now we've got curcuits so thin, it's only 5 atoms thick.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: kensuguro on 2002-10-19 23:18 ]</font>
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2002 10:38 pm
by Retro
Apparently the theoretical limit is 2 atoms thick, and then they have to find a new approach altogether. One of the more exciting alternatives currently being investigated is quantum computing. A quantum processor would utilise the typical on and off states, as well as a bizarre third state which is both off and on at the same time! Don't ask me how, but this would allow a device to execute millions of instructions simultaneously.
Imagine a quantum Pulsar!
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2002 11:39 pm
by kensuguro
>Quantum Pulsar
Sounds like a proper name to me!
How about Quantum Synthesis? On and off at the same time...
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2002 12:13 am
by Nestor
I see... how interesting this is... and amazing too. I didn't know we were working at such an small zise :0
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2002 5:18 am
by spoimala
To Nestor's original question, I can't stay without saying that those megaherzes have nothing to do with real power.
But I bet Intel will go 4GHz next year. And AMD... a bit under 3GHz and giving the same performance =D
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2002 7:09 am
by mr swim
2 atoms is the theoretical limit, but pretty much impossible. 1 atom out of place and the whole thing is screwed up, so I don't think we'll ever see one . . . we'll get a whole new technology before then. With 4 atoms you can still allow for a bit of leeway in the design.
I seem to remember another problem is actually the quantum factor you get to with a single atom . . . something unpredictable about it in normal semi-conductors.
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2002 4:29 pm
by samplaire
Wait 'till they start using 1 atom thick wiring
What then? Can you imagine those ads about, for instance Conrad selling atoms for DIY processors? And cables for connecting atoms?