Physicists calculate the end of Moore's Law, clearly don't believe in Moore's Law

If you're looking for pundits with an end date for Moore's Law, you don't have to look far. You also don't have to look far to find a gaggle of loonies who just knew the world was ending in Y2K, so make of that what you will. The latest duo looking to call the demise of the processor mantra that has held true for two score comes from Boston University, with physicists Lev Levitin and Tommaso Toffoli asserting that a quantum limit would be achieved in around 75 to 80 years. Scott Aaronson, an attention-getter at MIT, expects that very same limit to be hit in just 20 years. Of course, there's plenty of technobabble to explain the what's and how's behind all this, but considering that the brainiacs of the world can't even agree with Gordon Moore's own doomsday date, we're choosing to plug our ears and keep on believin' for now. Bonus video after the break.

[Via Slashdot]

[ch3burashka Posted Oct 20th 2009 7:28PM]

The dude looks like a chick in the leopard-print shirt.

[boot2skull Posted Oct 20th 2009 7:39PM]

That's Steve Perry and he slayed that leopard with his golden voice.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 20th 2009 8:11PM]

где гена?

[Decoy Posted Oct 20th 2009 8:08PM]

The way technology is developing, we'll soon be able to predict the end of technology!

[Paulmichael Posted Oct 20th 2009 8:25PM]

It's obvious that Moore's Law will end along with the rest of the world in 2012...
Do people really have nothing better to do than to try and predict the future? Now if you'll excuse me I have to watch television so I know what the weather will be like tomorrow.

[disguised Posted Oct 20th 2009 8:31PM]

It's not a law. It's more of a guideline.

[Zslap Posted Oct 20th 2009 8:36PM]

i'm tellin you guys...when computers will become self aware, they won't kill us all or take over the earth, they'll simply party all night long and cry at journey's don't stop believing song:((...i know, it gets me to

[Smurf Posted Oct 20th 2009 9:05PM]

Bah... Moore's Law isn't ending until we lose the need to have more power.

We will always discover new materials... and if they don't already exist, we'll make them.

There's a helluvalot of money in chips and a helluvalot of scientists and engineers in the world trying to out-do each other.

[Nytrydr Posted Oct 20th 2009 10:04PM]

These scientists are just blowing up smoke up our asses, two hundred years ago we weren't even aware of the basic structure of atoms let alone aware of quantum physics. Yes their equation might hold true in terms of the math and physics we posses today, however who is to say that we won't find even more ingenious ways of computing information.

They are also specifically referring processor die shrinkage, we live 3 dimensionally. If worst comes to worst go wider, longer, taller, heck we might go back to the good old days of computers being the size of houses one day.

One thing is for sure technology will ALWAYS continue to advance, beyond our wildest imagination.

[Wwhat Posted Oct 21st 2009 3:41PM]

"Moore's Law describes a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware, in which the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years"

[Funke Tobias Dr Posted Oct 20th 2009 10:10PM]

Way too many syllables in these jokers' names to ever catch on...

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 20th 2009 11:09PM]

Yeah, but what they lack in shortness they make up for in recycling the same letters. It evens out.

[Funke Tobias Dr Posted Oct 21st 2009 9:09AM]

Haha, good point. Who knew male pornstars could also have a knack for science?

[matthew2 Posted Oct 20th 2009 11:17PM]

Doesn't matter. By 2050 we'll reach the technological singularity and robots will be taking over. Not sure they'll care about moore's law sense they'll be 1000x smarter than us. they will probably laugh at our tiny intellects. Just hope they don't have a taste for human blood.

[Steve2000 Posted Oct 20th 2009 11:52PM]

Yeah but they will never know what it means to love and that will ultimately be there downfall.

[Steve2000 Posted Oct 20th 2009 11:56PM]

Oh, and if computers are so smart why can't they tell me that I should have said "their" and not "there"?

[Wwhat Posted Oct 21st 2009 3:43PM]

Being logical they\d do away with politicians and the religious, not something that causes a great deal of anxiety with me.

[Steve2000 Posted Oct 20th 2009 11:45PM]

Every time someone takes umbrage with somene who says "first" I kick a puppy.

[peepeeland Posted Oct 21st 2009 1:47AM]

A limit can be reached, only when assuming that space is not warped to allow for electricity to effectively travel faster than the speed of light. When this is accomplished, computers will literally be able to finish things before the user even begins to interact with them. After this becomes commonplace, it will become apparent that intention, action, past, and present, are only related by the perception of them. This will then be forgotten, and we will end up going in reverse/forwards/whatever-"direction"-wards, into infinity.

I have been in this situation so many times, it's not even funny, anymore.

[Marc B Posted Oct 21st 2009 2:29AM]

Why is this so loony? Processor speed hasn't moved much past the 3,06 GH since 2002! And until developers solve the current thermal limitations inherent in CPU's, they won't.

[Wwhat Posted Oct 21st 2009 3:33PM]

Multi core is a hack thought up exactly BECAUSE they reached a limit, and don't use car (or sports) analogies on engadget please.