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Self-Assembling Nanocomputers

Posted by timothy on from the pour-yourself-a-desktop dept.

A Semi-Anonymous Coward writes: "According to this article a researcher at Harvard University has developed techniques for self assembly of nanoscale wires that operate without resistance due to a property called ballistic conductivity. He hopes the research will provide an 'end run' around convential top-down circuit designs, allowing much smaller, faster and more energy efficient computers."

1 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. This is still a LONG way out. by GraZZ · · Score: 0, Redundant

    About half way through the article:

    "Another set of wires can be laid perpendicular to the first simply by rotating the apparatus 90 degrees. Already, his lab has produced a transistor just 10 atoms across."

    I don't really see how a technique like this is anywhere near being able to produce anything near the complexity of a computer. The way this fluff article talks about it, you think Harvard would be going into production next year.

    Don't waste your time on this one folks. It's just self-reinforcing PR for Harvard. They've also managed to get almost every theoretical computing buzzword in: quantum computing, biological computing interface, superposition, ballistic conductivity, transistor (:P), etc etc.

    I'll be interested when this becomes more realistic.