> and although transistor count continues to increase it is noticeably slower. Yes, I would be surprised if the rate manages to be even linear - it can never b

> and although transistor count continues to increase it is noticeably slower. Yes, I would be surprised if the rate manages to be even linear - it can never be exponential as it was with process shrinkage because now the opposite is happening - we are increasing the total die size, but without changing the frequency. The first problem of this method is dealing with increased propagation delay between distant blocks, requiring different architecture and scheduling (assuming we just accept parallel computing as the only way forward). Then there is the much harder problem to sustainably solve: power consumption and heat dissipation, requirements that grow in proportion to the transistor count. ... all of these issues were naturally avoided with process shrinkage, propagation delay reduced in proportion, and the power density per unit area remained roughly the same, and so up to the physical limits of the material it was a truly sustainable window of exponential growth.