Question regarding CPU architecture and the future of processors

[CichliSuite]

It only just occured to me to make use of all the knowledgeable people around here to shed some light on a question that I have always thougth about and never recieved and answer to: When will physical limitations finally end the incessent search for a faster processor. Is this a current worry among manufacturers or has technology not yet even approached this almighty barrier.

I can't help but wonder how much long will Moore's law hold out. When will the last chip )as we know it) come to be?

Just some idle ponderings....

 

[enginjon]

Well I can't answer with any scientific knowledge, I do know however that there are many new manufacturing plans constantly being designed, for example the new 700 nanometer (0.07 micrometer) plans by Intel. I sure hope they can keep going though...... mmmmmm Terahertz........

 

[WarCon]

Well when the atomic structure becomes your absolute limitations then go parallel structure. Then your only bandwidth limitation becomes your transport (bus to memory, etc). But I think long before then we will see an integrated package being built. So much of our bottlenecks will be taken care of on chip. Or lets do some theoretical modeling ourselves, how about chips that plug into chips that plug into chips. The whole square chip in middle design might have to be rethought for some kind of cooling to be implemented. But thats the cool thing about the future, the possiblities are endless.