Monroe Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Wasn't sure if this should be here as news or a prediction. THE MATRIX OVERLOADED - Computers will use more electricity than the entire world can generate by 2040, tech experts claim Nightmare scenario means humanity will be simply unable to power the systems which keep us alive by Jasper Hamill 25th July 2016 https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1498750/computers-will-use-more-electricity-than-the-entire-world-can-generate-by-2040-tech-experts-claim/ Modern humans depend on their computers to do everything from ordering food to finding a romantic partner. But the current digital big bang could end with a disappointing whimper because humanity may be unable to produce enough power to keep computers running, experts have warned. A leading technical organised called the Semiconductor Industry Association has produced a study which said that computer-crazy society will be running short of electricity by 2040. It wrote: “Computing will not be sustainable by 2040, when the energy required for computing will exceed the estimated world’s energy production.” The Semiconductor Industry Association meets every year to discuss how electronic components called transistors – which power computer circuits – can be made ever smaller. Now the organisation is conceding that they probably won’t get any tinier, heralding the end of an era where computers got faster and faster as transistors shrunk to every tinier sizes. This means tech firms will have to think of new ways to make computers powerful enough to keep up with demands. “Driverless cars and personalised medicine along with countless other applications of intelligent systems are on the horizon, the Semiconductor Industry Association added. The year 2040 carries a huge resonance in the tech world, because some people believe that’s when artificial intelligence will become as clever as us humans – a moment known as the singularity. ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc333 Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 If that ever happens, I'll probably go off the grid and pull out my 486 (it can't run Windows 95 very well (I've always experienced 95 on Pentium-class machines, so I was surprised to see that it can actually be so slow), but it ought to run 3.1 okay). c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgeA Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 I dunno, this sounds to me like a classic case of projecting current trends into the far future, as if people would not respond accordingly. We're supposed to have run out of energy, what -- two or three times already? I remember attending a college lecture in 1979-80 by some supposed energy expert who confidently predicted that we'd run out of petroleum before the year 2000. He had the stats and the charts to prove it. But people (markets, companies, individuals, even governments) do respond to changing conditions and they devise solutions that today's experts cannot even conceive of. Who knows, maybe by 2040 we will even have overcome this "Internet of Things" urge to put a chip on every freakin' thing that sits in our homes, and the issue will be irrelevant. --JorgeA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumper Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 Will more programmers finally start optimizing their code? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now