4 ms·

There's a lot of places software can go, but currently hardware is pretty incrementally better and better. We are also getting close to the limit of how small c

There's a lot of places software can go, but currently hardware is pretty incrementally better and better. We are also getting close to the limit of how small circuits can be so the visible "runway" of tech doesn't appear to be as profitable as it once was. So now the focus of the people in the markets appears to be expanding their existing business, rather than building entire new market segments with a new killer app/product. We are in the "boring, reliable" hardware stage where nothing is very exciting in addition to the rate hikes, so there isn't as much willingness to invest in anything risky. Pushing entrenched businesses to raise rates and enshitify is much easier to do than getting them to actually invent something new or worthwhile. Of course, we couldn't have conceived of today's technology 100 years ago, so in 100 years we may have discovered some novel material that allows for tighter circuitry OR we'll move to biological computers or something similar.

fallingknife 3y ago
We already have discovered such a material and it's hardly exotic. Graphite chips can be clocked a couple orders of magnitude faster than silicon. The issue is manufacturing them.
- I_Am_Nous 3y ago
  That sounds like relevant tech that could take off if there's enough investment, but isn't likely to see returns for years to come...the exact kind of thing VC seems allergic to. The bleeding edge is expensive to cut and companies are still reeling from their overly enthusiastic hiring sprees so I hope in a couple of years they will have sorted house and start paying people to play with the future.
  - Apocryphon 3y ago
    I’m still disappointed we’re not exploring photonic circuitry or DNA computing or all the gee whiz speculative fiction post-silicon ideas from twenty years ago.
    - I_Am_Nous 3y ago
      There's a guy at work who is convinced photonic circuits would solve a lot of problems. I imagine if we can start growing perfect crystals of some sort to be used in photonic chips, we can use them, but my understanding the speed of a copper circuit is already relatively close to the speed of light so that's not really the limiting factor of our current chips.

fallingknife 3y ago

We already have discovered such a material and it's hardly exotic. Graphite chips can be clocked a couple orders of magnitude faster than silicon. The issue is manufacturing them.

I_Am_Nous 3y ago
That sounds like relevant tech that could take off if there's enough investment, but isn't likely to see returns for years to come...the exact kind of thing VC seems allergic to. The bleeding edge is expensive to cut and companies are still reeling from their overly enthusiastic hiring sprees so I hope in a couple of years they will have sorted house and start paying people to play with the future.
- Apocryphon 3y ago
  I’m still disappointed we’re not exploring photonic circuitry or DNA computing or all the gee whiz speculative fiction post-silicon ideas from twenty years ago.
  - I_Am_Nous 3y ago
    There's a guy at work who is convinced photonic circuits would solve a lot of problems. I imagine if we can start growing perfect crystals of some sort to be used in photonic chips, we can use them, but my understanding the speed of a copper circuit is already relatively close to the speed of light so that's not really the limiting factor of our current chips.