Let's talk about computers.
We're starting to hit hard physical limits with our plain old transistor-based electronic computing, electron tunneling is already beginning to interfere with our attempts to make transistors smaller than 8nm or so function properly. The current culture seems to be pushing quantum computers using photon polarity or electron spin as the way forwards, but that's not the only new way of computing open to us right now. Currently I know of three other methods for new computing: Skyrmion computing, optical (photonic) computing, and memristor based computing.
Skyrmion Computing
>Leverages solid state physics and quasi-particles technically a form of quantum computing.
>Proper name is "Cavity Spintronics," part of the second quantum revolution quantum devices.
>Utilizes magnetic spin currents instead of electric currents, therefore using less energy and producing less heat.
>The magnetic swirls skyrmions have patterns much smaller than most magnetic domains, raising data density limits.
>Skyrmions have already been used to store info on magnetic material
>Room temp skyrmions exist and can possibly be used https://phys.org/news/2018-02-magnetic-skyrmion-room-temperature.html
>That means quantum computing at room temp.
>Absolute bleeding edge, active research going on RIGHT NOW!
<Absolute bleeding edge.
<Goddamn fucking complicated, condensed matter physics is no joke.
<So new that practical demonstration of this for computation is limited.
I really love the physics behind these and I really want this. Thankfully it seems pretty viable.
https://phys.org/tags/skyrmion/ Articles and papers on this, really requires your own research to get it
And here's an extremely early article to help clarify the whole "skyrmion" thing.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/nanotechnology/skyrmions-communication-with-magnetic-swirls-instead-of-electrons
Optical Computing
>Basically replacing electric transistors with "optical transistors"
>We're already really good with information transfer and manipulation using light wireless communications and such.
>Photons move much faster than electrons in a circuit.
>Can also be leveraged in regular electronic computing to create hybrid computers.
>Like in using optical components to speed coordination of electronic ones e.g. coordinating processing cores.
>"Optical transistors" would have a higher bandwidth than electronic ones.
<"Optical transistors" are still theoretical, more research is needed before we can actually build one.
<Somewhat difficult to make optical to electrical conversion fast enough to prevent bottlenecks in computers
<Useful wavelengths of light are in infrared and way too big around 1000nm.
<Current workarounds bring heat problems that require extreme cooling or a new material.
I'd like laser computers, but this tech seems the least useful of the three for now.
http://archive.is/wyIzS extremetech article that actually covers this entire section
Memristors
>"Memory Resistors"
>The fourth fundamental circuit element.
>Variable resistance based on previous current that has flown through it.
>Using tiny "read" charges can access a history of applied voltage.
>Was theoretical until Bell Labs found memristive properties in a material in 2008.
>Can be used for greater than binary computing due to multiple possible resistive states Largest I've heard is base-10 or so.
>Allows for easy builds of 3D devices due to structure, greatly increasing possible computing power.
>Can be used as extremely fast non-volatile memory as well as computation.
>Can more easily model neurons due to similar properties in function.
<Some people say they don't actually exist and none of this would work.
<Argument over definition of memristor and what constitutes one.
<Memristive properties only show up at nanoscale.
<Very little news and few papers about memristor tech since 2015.
<All previously announced projects seem to be dead in the water.
The closest to commercial memristor tech seems to be RRAM (Resistive RAM), which not everyone believes count.
http://www.memristor.org/
So what do you think anon, are you wanting to switch from electronic transistor based computing?
Do you have a favorite future computer tech?
Is there anything else that might be the future instead, or do you think quantum computers are the way to go?
How long do you think we'll be using electronic transistors for if you do want the switch to happen?