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Moore's Law is the prediction that the number of transistors (processing power) that can be squeezed onto a silicon chip of a given size will double every 18 months. It has proven to be amazingly accurate over the years. Shrinking transistors have powered advances in computing for the past 50 years, but now alternate ways must be found to increase computer capabilities.

Researchers at Cambridge University have created a nanoscale switch that could dramatically improve the efficiency and speed of future electronic components. Saftey standards need to be developed with this in mind. They used a form of liquid light to create a semiconductor switch that is so small that it blurs the line between electricity and light. For a more detailed description of this unique technological advance and its possible applications click here.

Using a Polariton Bose-Einstein condensate form of "liquid light", researchers have created a nanoscale switch that could help vastly improve the speed and efficiency of future electronic components(Credit: Alexander Dreismann)

With Moore's Law nearing the end of its shelf life, researchers must continue to push the envelope and think outside the box when it pertains to improving computing power and uses. Spreadsheets, mobile apps, video games and accurate weather forecasts are just a few areas where the exponential growth in the power of cimputing chips have affected our daily lives over the past fifty years.