In this section, I will discuss some of the similarities between the microprocessor and TCP/IP and details of future developments of these technologies.

The similarities between the microprocessor and TCP/IP:

• The invention of the microprocessor provided the technology for the success of the PC and TCP/IP. It was the technology that made the Internet possible.
• These inventions have had a major impact on society; both have had an effect on the way education and business now operate.
• Both technologies were developed by pioneers of the computer industry

 

 

(Source: courtesy of Google)

Moore's Law predicted that microprocessors would double in power and the price remains the same every eighteen months. Until now he has been right. But soon scientists believe that microprocessors, made of silicon, will reach their limit. Because they wont be able to fit any more electronic components on to the silicon chips and the limit of miniaturization has nearly been reached. To be able to keep producing faster computer speeds they need to find a new material. DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Aid) is a likely candidate for the future of microprocessors.

DNA computing

(Source: courtesy of the BBC)

DNA molecules integrated into a computer chip has the potential to outperform the super computers of today, and will be able to store billions of data, more than is possible at this time. In 1994, a computer scientist Leonard Adelman suggested that DNA could solve complex mathematical problems.

DNA biochip

(Source: courtesy of the BBC)

The computing potential of DNA is immense and it has been estimated that a gram of dried DNA can hold as much information as a trillion CD's. Compared to a conventional computer a DNA computer with 10 trillion molecules, that fit in to one cubic centimetre, could hold 10 terabytes of data and perform 10 trillion calculations at one time. This technology is still in development, and perhaps in the next decade we could be using faster, more powerful and smaller computers in our homes. Moreover, possibly Moore's Law will continue.

Over the past few years, the Internet has become very popular and very congested with the increased number of users. At the moment, cable modems and Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ASDL) are the current technologies that can offer broadband high-speed connections and have a maximum speed of 8 to 10 megabits per second (Mbps). However, they are not fast enough to display video on demand. The next step for high-speed connections will possibly be provided by an emerging technology called Very high bit rate DSL (VDSL) that can provide speeds of up to 52 Mbps to your home and 16 Mbps from your home.

To be able to use this technology you will need a VDSL transceiver in your home and a VDSL gateway in your telephone junction box. The data from your receiver is converted into pulses of light, that are transmitted over a fiber-optic system. This data is routed over the network until it reaches its final destination. When the data is sent back to your computer, the gateway converts the signal from the fiber-optic cable and sends it to the transceiver. All of this happens millions of times each second.