Just because people were wrong in the past, doesn't mean that people are wrong now. This time, I really do think it's different. Historically, scaling provided

Just because people were wrong in the past, doesn't mean that people are wrong now. This time, I really do think it's different. Historically, scaling provided a few benefits. As transistors got smaller, they went faster and used less power. They also got cheaper. The first benefit, going faster and more efficient dried up back in the early 2000s when leakage currents because a problem. This is why transistors have been stuck at 3 GHz for so long. The second benefit, cost reduction, is now disappearing. The cost per transistor actually went up with the last node! These days, lithography costs dominate all else. The only way for chips to start getting cheaper is if EUV pans out (so far it's not looking great, but we'll see) or if we radically change the fabrication process and turn transistors sideways (this requires extreme etch control). Even if it is technically feasible to go smaller, unless EUV costs go down it may not be financially feasible.