Future Computers

In the early 1940s, the first electronic computer, ENIAC, was developed. It contained 18,000 vacuum tubes and consumed the power of a small town. This machine was so large and inefficient that it was clear that it could not be scaled further. It was in the invention of the transistor in 1947 that digital computers became truly practical.

Digital computers have scaled exponentially since then. Nowadays, almost every computer is digital and based on the same basic principles: electrons moving in silicon. However, as we continue to push the limits of silicon-based computing, we are reaching a point where we need to come up with new approaches.

One promising new approach is photonics. Photonics is the use of light to perform computations. This has the potential to be much faster and more efficient than traditional silicon-based computers. For example, a recent study by Marcic, LightMatter, and Intel demonstrated a photonics chip that is ten times faster than an 800-gigaflop computer while consuming less power than a lightbulb.

Another promising new approach is biological computing. This approach involves using the capabilities of biological cells, such as neurons, to perform computations. This could lead to computers that are much more efficient and powerful than current computers. For example, a startup in Australia is developing a computer that uses live human neurons. This computer is already able to learn and play simple games.

Finally, some researchers are looking at analog computing. Analog computers are a completely different type of computer that operates on continuous values rather than the discrete values of digital computers. This could lead to computers that are better able to model real-world systems. For example, a recent study by Hewlett Packard Labs demonstrated an analog chip that can perform neural networks with the performance of a similar digital chip at about 10% of the power.

The future of computing is full of exciting possibilities. We can expect computers to become even more powerful, efficient, and intelligent with new technologies, such as photonics, biological computing, and analog computing. These new computers will profoundly impact our lives, from how we work to how we interact with the world around us.

Overall, the future of computing is bright. We can expect computers to become even more powerful, efficient, and intelligent with new technologies, such as photonics, biological computing, and analog computing.