IBM Develops 'Growable' Computer Chips

Scientists at IBM have devised a way to make carbon nanotubes "build" themselves in an effort to replace silicon chips. This technology can lead to faster-than-silicon computer chips and bendable electronics.

Traditional computer microchips are made of semiconducter silicon. These materials are formed into "wafers" where circuitry is carved. However, scientists are recognizing the limits of the complexity and processing capacity of such microchips. Luckily, scientists from IBM will be heralding a new generation of microchip designs.

George Gulevski and his peers want to use carbon nanotubes to "self-construct" microchips. The nanotube chips may be able to use less electricity and be even six to ten times as fast as the silicon-based ones we use nowadays.

However, nanotubes are extremely tiny. Their walls are just a carbon atom thick, meaning unlike silicon, chip makers cannot simply "carve" circuit patterns into nanotubes.

Interestingly, scientists want to circumvent this problem by "coaxing" the nanotubes to form into the desired shapes they want. Using chemistry and observation from nature, they want nanotubes to do the construction themselves, like how crystals do.

Wired said Tulevski and his team are treating the nanotubes with chemicals that will cause them to assemble into new structures. This is similar to growing crystals instead of carving statues.

This is almost something from science fiction, given that the concept of nanotechnology has just arrived in the 1980s and 1990s science fiction. Its "throwback" of sorts into modern times can herald a new age of technology. However, its true potential can be unlocked only if it gets to defeat silicon-based chips, which are also getting faster by the day.

According to Futurism, if this is successful, then we can usher a revolution in microchip technology that can effectively grant us more powerful processors. Not only can they process more data faster, but they can also use less electricity. Interestingly, the success of carbon nanotubes can also pave the way for a new generation of technology, ranging from injectable microchips to bendable machines that can usher a new age of wearable technology.