Statistics show that the number of transistors that are present on the microprocessor double every 2 years. If this continues, computing power will be huge in the future. Although these expectations may or may not become reality, it is still interesting to learn about innovations that could change computing in the future.
Every single year, manufacturers find brand new ways to add more power into chips. We see better and better monitors and the amount of storage memory you can have at home these days is already huge.
New emerging technologies promise to offer more computing performance. This includes but is not at all limited to what is presented below.
In-Memory Computing
In computing, the slowest processing part is getting data from your hard disk to move to RAM so it can be used. Processor power often ends up wasted as data does not arrive in time. In-memory computing adds a lot of data into your Ram so it can be immediately processed. This can drastically improve overall costs and performance.
Graphene-Based Microchips
If you did not hear about graphene till now, it is really conductive and just 1 molecule thick. You can roll it up in small tubes and combine it with new materials in order to allow faster electron movement. This can make microprocessors a lot faster in a shorter period of time as technology evolves.
Quantum Computing
Computers assign zeros and ones to a single bit. With quantum computing, Qubits are used. They can have the value of 0, 1, both at the same time or even points in between them, everything at the exact same time. In theory, quantum computers can solve really complex problems a lot faster than what is possible with current modern computing technology. Google seems to be the leader in this technology right now.
Molecular Electronics
Lund University researchers managed to create a biocomputer with the use of nanotechnology. The result is a unit that is a lot faster than computers that use electricity. At the same time, the unit is a lot more energy-efficient, by 99% in fact. There is a really good possibility that the technology can be commercialized pretty soon.
DNA Data Storage
Some researchers believe that one teaspoon of DNA is capable of holding absolutely all the data that we generated till now. This is from when humans drew on caves to the Facebook status you just uploaded. Gene editing can become the future of big data. Microsoft is now investigating the technology and initial tests went really well.
Passive WiFi
A team from the University of Washington managed to create a way in which WiFi transmissions are generated with 10k times less power. This does not increase computing power but it drastically increases connectivity. Power-hungry devices can so easily connect through WiFi and create some brand new communication modes in the future. We might end up being connected through something else than the regular WiFi we use every single day in the near future.