What could Replace the CPU?

[Winston]

Eventually, we'll have to reach a point where we can't go any faster maybe at.... 1 thz for example. (This would include RAM, HD Capacity etc. at some point too )

So once this point is reached we need to get new technology. Does anyone have any leaks in to new ideas, or have some of their own?

Tell me your ideas

[Kameo]

Well, they've already come to a point where it can't get much faster. Anyone noticed how the speed of processors hardly increased the last couple of years? The answer is having multiple cores doing the tasks, so, that's what they R working on now. I believe Apple's eight cores is max. at the moment, but it'll get better. In a few years from now there's gonna be 1024 core processors, but don't hold Ur breath on it :p ......

[Winston]

But what if it overheats, the only reason mac can only handle an 8 core is probabaly becaus eits Fing huge and would overheat if was any bigger even with the cooling sysytem it might already use. We'd need something better than water cooling, we'd need ice practically a constant supply. Plus once more and more cores came aloong it would demand alot more power.

your right though we are near that point. But I mean, it was only what...7 years ago a common computer had a P2 400 Mhz processor? and before that 133 on the P1's. And also now we have a more or less common 3 ghz processor speed. last year it was also 3.0 before that 3.0 was good and more commonly was a...2.4 for example.

[Agent Smith]

Yes technology has come along way in the last two decades with cpu's, ram, graphic cards's, just computers in general... Yes cpu speeds have slowed down somewhat but I would not count them out just yet... Maybe humans are working on something the next generation cpu prehaps that could handle past the 1thz marker use less power than todays cpu's and also find a way to keep them cool with a sort of liquid nitrogen cooling, I know they have that already but in smaller more stable form... Also maybe AI is not to far off that will be the next big leap but humans would have to becarefull with AI because it could prove to be dangerus...

[Klendathu]

Nanobots....

[Agent Smith]

Nanobots....

Yes nanomachines or nanobots are not to far off...

I was reading a tech mag a few years back about that, cannot quite remember what it said but if I can find the mag in my box I will try to scan the pages and post them in this Thread...

[Winston]

Liquid Nitrogen...Should have thought of that. I agree with "Agent Smith" the CPU definetely shouldnt be counted out. At least not for at least 3 more years. It would take alot to come up with something to replace it. And if they'd only start now, they surely woudlnt finish in three years. With HD's They will probably find a way to make a larger Flash storage. They use it one the space shuttles. I mean I wouldnt mind a 50 gb flash HD, it would be expensive but I could load games 100X faster and transfer files so much faster too.

RAM just doubles each year, a theory said by I forget whos name. If anyone could fill in on that?

So it should keep doubling and only get bigger! Graphics card havent slowed down until recently were in the last 2-3 years its pretty much has been the 512 and the 1 GB or the Dual 512's.

Google defined it as: a programmable logic device that performs all the instruction, logic, and mathematical processing in a computer.

There must be something else that can do that. A clone of a human brain? That may be a "little" bit to science fictionish, but is possible, and would probably be extremely effecient. Fact is we could use 100% of the brain power and it would make....real super computers.

[Klendathu]

Computer technology doubles every 18 months.
This is known as Moore's Law. Coined by Gordon E. Moore.

[DarthBrady]

Cpu's will be around for a while yet, even with nano technology.

THe only thing they need to fix thats holding them back now, is keeping them running at a cool temperature.

For example, I read an article on digg.com a while back (tried to find it but couldn''t) and the article talked of an experiment done by a US university. They took a Dual-Core Pentium test model CPU, and ran it in a temperature controlled evironment. The CPU* was designed to run at 500mhz per core (1 Ghz). which it did at room temperature. BUT, at 300 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, it ran at almost 500Ghz, completely stable!!

THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE. WOW.

[Winston]

Wow...Not too computer workplaces are really affited for that though haha. But I guess in a number of years we could place the computer in a seperate room were it could get constant cooling. (at a temperature a human couldnt handle but the computer could. Most devices would have to be external but that would be cool haha no problems there for me.

That is a really interesting fact though. And thank-you Klendathu for filling in on Moore's Law.

500ghz...and stable? Well If we had a room at lets say 50 below to 100 below, so we could actually be able to afford the cost of the cooling We would have pretty effecient computers. But for now if we actually wanted that setup it would probably only be for a mainframe in some giant corporation.