The molecular computer, the computer of the future

1999/10/01 Waliño, Josu - Elhuyar Fundazioa Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Hardwarea

A team of researchers from the company Hewlett Packard and the University of California have developed an artificial molecule capable of functioning as switches, a basic element for all computers.

This new technology will replace current silicon chips in the near future, and computers will be millions of times more powerful and faster than today. James Heat, professor of chemistry at UCLA University, said that "the new chips will make the calculations a billion times faster than the current Pentium. A small chip designed with this technology can have the same computing capacity as 100 current processors."

Achievement is based on: A molecule called Rotaxano should be induced to switch function, that is, to be able to take the 0 and 1 configurations, generating the voltage changes that represent the bits that make up the information. The Rotaxan molecule is less than the nanometer, a million millimeters. Therefore, the cost of production would be much lower than that of current chips. The problem is that there is still not enough wiring for some molecules to exchange information, forming circuits.

The possibilities offered by this new discovery are unthinkable. One of the project's coordinators, Phil Kuekes, argues that Asimov's Imaginary Journey could become reality, introducing into the human body a computer capable of detecting any health problems.