How Intel and Moore's Law can continue thanks to Graphene, Silicene, Diamonds and 3D Architecture

Moore's Law is about to come to a stop....at least for 2D Silicon semiconductors

It's been predicted by the Semiconductor Industry Association that semiconductors will stop shrinking in size by 2021 as reported in the article “Chip Makers Admit Transistors Are About to Stop Shrinking”, published July 25, 2016, by Jamia Condliff, Technology Review.

In a study published in their 2015 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductor, Moore's Law will stop being true, at least for Silicon based semiconductors. Moore's Law is the observation made by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore in 1965 that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits will double every year since the integrated circuit was invented.

Already Intel had delayed the release of their 10 nm chip to 2016, after they’d originally promised to release it in 2016. The problem is really quantum tunneling; at those small sizes, electrons no long travel along conductive traces but instead jump between traces, shorting them out.

So is the end near for Moore's Law?

Semiconductor Industry Association and Moore's Law - Miniaturization possible once the material is not Silicon

The end is not as bad as Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell makes it sound.

More specialized processor will result, specifically designed to focus more on certain tasks, such as handling graphics, Deep learning and Graphics processing as evident in smartphones.

Also keeping the processor cool will become very important going forward, with improved, much quieter cooling technologies as described in my blog article entitled “UAH Graduate Students use 3M's Fluorinert FC-72 in Passive Cooling System – Gaming Rigs and Data Centers Noiseless Cooling Systems upgrade”. 

3D processors are also in our future, heralding the age of iso-linear processing power with processors stack one atop the other as described in my blog article entitled “@Intel and Micron 3D V-NAND SSD – How 2.5 inch 10TD Processor SSD extend Moore's Law against @Samsung in Storage Wars”. 

We may also have to switch the material we use to make processors such as carbon nanotubes, graphene and derivatives of silicon such as silicene as described in my blog article entitled “How to grow @UTAustin Silicene Transistors and Group 4 Super-conducting Processors and Batteries”. 

Also the emergence of Li-Fi as a optical means of increasing the bandwidth of free space Communication Systems in 2020 as heralded in my blog article entitled “Why pureLiFi Solar Powered Li-Fi is coming to Apple iPhone with 5G Internet by 2020”.

Fiber Optic Traces and Diamond PCD - Quantum computers are inevitable

So aside from Quantum computing, optical processors, which use fiber optic traces instead of electrical ones are just around the corner as described in my blog article entitled “Why @UCBerkeley and @MIT Optical Processor means Li-Fi and 5G Wireless by 2020”.

To keep things cool, making PCB (Printed Circuit Boards) out of diamond may be the future of Computer electronics, due to diamonds; incredible heat dissipating capabilities as noted in the article “Why Diamonds, Not Silicon, May Power Your Next Phone”, published July 11, 2016 By Kyle Wiggers, Digitaltrends.

In the end, making sure the processor doesn’t overheat and switching to light are ways that Intel can get around Quantum tunneling even as they push into making Quantum computers, which is inevitable.

So the end is not as close as it appears; there are many options to make Moore's Law continue, just not using silicon and just not using 2D Architecture.