< Previous2 /9 9 /10 3 TRL /9 M OLECULAR COMPUTING, a GENERAL PURPOSE TECHNOLOGY, which is still in the Concept Stage and early Prototype Stage, is the use of molecules and polymers to create a revolutionary new form of compact and powerful computing platforms that can store and process all of the data and workloads managed by today’s exascale and hyperscale datacenters into a form factor no larger than a standard office desk. While there are many approaches being investigated and developed the ones that show the most promise include varying the composition, spin and colour combinations of discrete polymer chains and molecules in order to get the best results. DEFINITION Molecular Computing uses molecules and polymers instead of the traditional silicon based computer to process and store information. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today the first Molecular Computing prototypes are being used to test the theory that we can process and store information in molecules, and use different lightwave diffraction patterns to store exascale volumes of information in polymer chains. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade research in the space will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow, albeit that the majority of it will stem from government institutions and large invested technology companies. While Molecular Computing is still in the Concept Stage and early Prototype Stage, over the longer term it is likely that it will be enhanced by other Biological Computing, Chemical Computing, DNA Computing and Liquid Computing, it is unclear what technology will replace it. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, and re-visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 3 1 4 3 9 4 2 8 1981 2010 2012 2028 2044 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT MOLECULAR COMPUTING STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘22, ‘24 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 200311institute.com MRL1 /9 6 /10 4 TRL /9 N ANO MAGNETIC COMPUTING, a General Purpose Technology, which is in the early Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with developing a new class of computing platform that doesn’t need or rely on electricity - or electrons - to perform compute functions instead relying on magnetism at the nanoscale. Unlike traditional computers they only use the absolute bare amount of energy to perform calculations when it’s needed and, asides from theoretically being the most energy efficient computers possible given today’s laws of physics, it’s been calculated that if they used any less energy they would break the second law of Thermodynamics. DEFINITION Nano Magnetic Computing is the use of magnetic fields to carry out computational tasks rather than using electricity. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today use cases for these kinds of computers is largely theoretical, however given their ultra low power consumption they could be suited to the development of ultra low power AI’s, and could be used anywhere where power availability is either at a premium or almost abscent including in the deep sea and space based applications. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade we will continue to see interest in this field accelerate, albeit from a very low base, predominantly led by the technology sector and government grants. Needless to say the allure of a computer platform that’s so energy efficient that it’s close to breaking the sacrasanct laws of physics is great, especially in today’s times, but despite this killer USP it’s likley that it’s still decades away from being commercialised. While Nano Magnetic Computing is still in the Prototype Stage over the long term it could be enhanced by advances in AI, Materials, Nanotechnology, Quantum Computing, and other technologies, however one day it be superceeded by Biological, Chemical, Liquid, or even Molecular Computing, among others. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, establish a point of view, and re- visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 3 3 7 5 6 2 2 7 1978 1998 2021 2047 2068 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT NANO MAGNETIC COMPUTING STARBURST APPEARANCES: NONE EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 201311institute.com MRL3 /9 9 /10 6 TRL /9 N ANOSCALE COMPUTING, which is in the early Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with trying to develop nanoscale computing systems that are either biological, non-biological, or hybrid in nature, and while this is still seen as a niche technology the long term potential to embed compute into everything at the nanoscale would change the world as we know it. Recently there have been a number of breakthroughs in the field including the development of the first nanoscale cellular computer which was able to analyse the biological information coming out of cells and then respond to it by turning gene expression within the cell on and off, as well as the development of the first virus sized computer blueprint architecture. DEFINITION Nanoscale Computing is the use of biological and non- biological nanoscale devices to perform computing tasks. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today the development of Nanoscale Computing, where the computers are in some cases smaller than a virus, means that we stand on the cusp of being able to embed compute and intelligence into all manner of biological and non-biological systems which could, in the former case, then be used to help turn the human body into a Living Pharmacy that is capable of identifying disease in vivo then making the treatments in vivo using Bio-Manufacturing. Meanwhile, other applications include the ability to monitor and analyse the behaviours of systems at the nanoscale and perform actions in response to certain behaviours or stimuli. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade we will continue to see interest and investment in Nanoscale Computing increase, albeit from a very low base, primarily led by university grants. Over the long term this could be a technology to be reckoned with, especially if the nanoscale computing platforms we are developing are capable of self-improvement and replication as we see with other similar systems such as Living Robots. A truly futuristic computing platform its potential is huge. While Nanoscale Computing is still in the early Prototype Stage it could be enhanced by advances in Biological AI and Compute, Cellular Recorders, Materials Nano-Manufacturing, Synthetic Biology, Nano-Sensors, and other technologies, however over the long term it’s unclear what it could be superseded by. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, establish a point of view, and re- visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 2 2 2 7 8 2 2 8 1981 2001 2017 2032 2069 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT NANOSCALE COMPUTING STARBURST APPEARANCES: NONE EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 202311institute.com MRL5 /9 6 /10 9 TRL /9 N EUROMORPHIC COMPUTING, a GENERAL PURPOSE TECHNOLOGY, which is in the early Productisation Stage, is a new form of ultra-powerful computing platform, whose architecture and design is modelled on the human brain, capable of compacting the performance found in today’s top of the line supercomputers into a package the size of a fingernail that runs on mere watts of power, not Megawatts or Gigawatts like today’s traditional top of the line platforms. While we now have million core neuromorphic computing platforms in operation overall development in the field is being held back by the lack of a comprehensive software ecosystem which means that building a full, programmable and functional software stack remains a top priority for researchers in the field, something that is being addressed by the award of new grants, and several government led programs. DEFINITION Neuromorphic Computing uses electronic circuits that mimic the Neuro-Biological architectures of the human nervous system to process information. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using Neuromorphic Computing and it’s massively parallel, low power computer architecture to build human like machine brains that learn in a similar way to humans, and create more complex biological brain simulations. In the future the primary applications of the technology will include building self-learning machines that revolutionise computing. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade research in the space will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow at an increasingly accelerated rate as the field becomes one of the next hot computing battlegrounds. While Neuromorphic Computing is in the early Productisation Stage, over the longer term it could be replaced by a variety of different technologies including Biological Computing, Chemical Computing, DNA Computing, and Molecular Computing, however that future is still a way off. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, experiment with it, with a view to implementing it, and forecast out the potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 5 4 4 8 7 4 4 9 1983 2006 2012 2015 2032 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23, ‘24 NEUROMORPHIC COMPUTING EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 203311institute.com MRL2 /9 8 /10 3 TRL /9 O RGANIC COMPUTING, which is in the Concept Stage and early Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with developing new ways to bind the biological computing capability of individual organisms together to form complex and connected collaborative organic computing platforms. Recent breakthroughs in the space include the development of the first human telepathic network and mammalian inter-continental Hive Mind networks which are the first steps to creating the first viable Organic Computer platforms. DEFINITION Organic Computing is a computing platform where the computing nodes doing the processing are collections of living organisms and not computers or machines. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today Organic Computing platforms are still very experimental and in some respect theoretical. In the future the primary use of this technology will be to turn organisms into collective computing nodes that are capable of computing and processing information and computer workloads. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow, albeit from a very low base, primarily led by organisations in the Healthcare sector, with support from univesity grants. In time we will see the technology mature to the point where researchers are able to connect together living organisms and harness their collective computing power, but there will likely be significant cultural and regulatory hurdles to be overcome before the technology can be productised. While Organic Computing is in the Concept Stage and early Prototype Stage, over the long term it will be enhanced by advances in Brain Machine Interfaces, Hive Minds, Memristors, Neuromorphic Computing, and Neuro-Prosthetics, and in the long term it could be replaced by more traditional and less contraversial Biological, Chemical, DNA, Liquid, Molecular, and Neuromorphic Computing platforms. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, and establish a point of view, and re-visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 1 2 2 3 6 1 1 7 1979 1985 2019 2045 2055 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT ORGANIC COMPUTING STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘20, ‘21, ‘23 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 204311institute.com MRL3 /9 7 /10 5 TRL /9 P HOTONIC COMPUTING, a GENERAL PURPOSE TECHNOLOGY, which is still in the Prototype Stage, is the use of light, rather than the electrons used by today’s computing platforms, to move and process data thousands of times faster than we do today. However, while the field has always shown great promise realising those promises and productising the technology has been difficult as researchers struggle to get the right heat, power and size ratios for their components, and harness the most useful form of light, infrared, whose wavelength size is not readily compatible with today’s electronics or silicon. While there have been advances in lithography which goes some way to addressing the latter issue many researchers are now focusing their attention on finding new ways to manipulate light, such as bending and spinning it, and breakthroughs in these areas are now becoming more frequent. DEFINITION Photonic Computing is a form of ultra fast computing technology that uses photons produced by lasers or diodes to perform computing tasks. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today the first Photonic Computing prototypes are being used to test the theory that we can move and process information at light speed, and researchers are focused on developing the photonic chips, circuitry, and memory components. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade research in the space will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow, however, as the number of competing computing technologies continues to increase if the field doesn’t get a breakthrough soon then it might be at risk of being sidelined in favour of other more promising technologies. That said though, with significant advances in Lasers, Nano-Manufacturing, Nanotechnology, Nano-Photonics and Optics, those breakthroughs could be closer than we think. While Photonic Computing is still in the Prototype Stage, over the longer term it could be replaced by new advances in Biological Computing, Chemical Computing, DNA Computing, Liquid Computing, Molecular Computing and Quantum Computing. However, despite this it is still highly likely that future traditional computer architectures will move away from electron based platforms to photonic ones, and that Photonic Computing will find its own niche in the new line-up. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, and re-visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 3 4 6 7 8 4 3 8 1984 2002 2010 2017 2036 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT PHOTONIC COMPUTING STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘23, ‘24 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 205311institute.com MRLX /9 X /10 X TRL /9 P NEUMATIC COMPUTING, which is in the early Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with developing computing platforms that use pressure to perform computing tasks rather than electricity which is the standard for most other computing platforms. While this is a niche emerging technology recent breakthroughs include the development of the first complete pneumatic computing platform made of glass and silicone that was able to use pressure to encode information, instead of electricity, and then process it in a lab to aid technicians in their Biotech work. DEFINITION Pneumatic Computing systems use air pressure to perform computing tasks. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today this technology is being lined up to eliminate up to 99% of the cost of building and running micro-fluidic instruments, as well as to control miniaturised biomedical laboratories that are undertaking analysis and sample monitoring activities. Meanwhile other applications could include the technology being used to act as the brains of soft robots which, in some cases already use air pressure to help them move, and which could soon use that same pressure to help them make specific decisions in response to different stimuli. Additionally, it could also find itself being used as what’s known as an Off-Chip solution to augment regular computing devices. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade we will continue to see investment and interest in Pneumatic Computing increase, albeit from a very low base, led primarily by university grants. While this is a niche technology and will remain so it opens the door to a new way of embedding compute and rudimentary intelligence into different devices and environments where it might not otherwise be practical, plus its incredibly low power consumption, which is practically zero will also make it attractive in certain applications such as IOT or Smart City applications. While Pneumatic Computing is still in the early Prototype Stage it could be enhanced by advances in Artificial Intelligence, Materials, Sensors, and other technologies, however over the long term it could be replaced by Shallow Neural Networks combined with Backscatter Energy Systems, and alternative sensing systems. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, establish a point of view, and re- visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 3 3 6 7 6 2 2 7 1977 1991 2002 2036 2056 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT PNEUMATIC COMPUTING STARBURST APPEARANCES: NONE EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 206311institute.com MRL6 /9 9 /10 9 TRL /9 M QUANTUM COMPUTING, a GENERAL PURPOSE TECHNOLOGY, which is in the Prototype Stage and early Productisation Stage, is the creation of a new ultra-powerful computing platform where researchers harness the properties of quantum mechanics and quantum theory to build machines that are, under the right conditions, operate hundreds of millions of times faster than today’s logic based computer platforms. Recently there has been a dramatic acceleration on the development of the technology with both proprietary and universal machines emerging from the labs, as well as the public unveiling of the first limited use cloud based Quantum Computing as a Service (QCaaS) platforms and simulators. However, as research in the field hots up there is an increasing battle between those companies focusing on increasing Qubit counts, at the expense of computing accuracy, and those focusing on computing accuracy, at the expense of Qubit counts. DEFINITION Quantum Computing is the area of study focused on developing computer technology based on the principles of Quantum Theory. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using the first QCaaS platforms and simulators to process complex climate change, drug, energy, machine learning, material, and traffic optimisation models, however, as the platforms evolve it is fair to say that the number of potential use cases will very quickly grow into the millions. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade research in the space will continue to accelerate at an increasingly rapid pace, and interest and investment in the space will also grow at an accelerating rate, which, in part, is led by the fact that the field has become politicised, with China, Europe and the US vying for supremacy in the field, and the fact that the first companies able to commercialise the technology and bring it to the masses will be at the forefront of one of the most significant computing revolutions since the invention of the first PC. While Quantum Computing is in the Prototype Stage and early Productisation Stage, over the long term it could be replaced by Biological Computing, and DNA Computing. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, experiment with it, with a view to implementing it, and forecast out the potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 7 6 6 9 9 7 4 9 1988 2010 2014 2017 2025 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23, ‘24 QUANTUM COMPUTING EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 207311institute.com MRL2 /9 6 /10 4 TRL /9 S UBSTRATE COMPUTING, which is in the early Prototype Stage, is te field of research concerned with trying to use different substrates such as fungi and mold to solve computing based optimisation problems in non-traditional ways. While this technology might sound odd, and it is, recently there have been a number of breakthrough including the development of computing-like slime molds that are able to control robots, optimise traffic flows, by solving the so called Travelling Salesman problem, and solve mazes. DEFINITION Substrate Computing is the use of different substrates to tackle and solve traditional and non-traditional computing problems . EXAMPLE USE CASES While this field is still nascent there is enough evidence to suggest that there’s something in this technology, if you want to call it that to warrant further investigation which is why the EU is now increasing its spending on the field. Example use cases include building cellular machines as well as new logic gate designs and hybrid electronic circuitry, designing highway and rail networks, elucidating the dark matter structure of the universe, and even predicting certain events. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow at an accelerating rate, albeit from a very low base, primarily led by organisations in the technology sector, with limited support from government funding and university grants. In time we will see Substrate Computing gain momentum but it’s highly likely that it will be limited to niche and specialist applications, and that it will remain a fringe tecnology for decades to come. While Substrate Computing is in the early Prototype Stage, over the long term it will be enhanced by advances in Biological and DNA Comptuing, DNA Neural Networks, Living Sensors, but at this point in time it is not clear what it will be replaced by. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, and re-visit it every few years until progress in this space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 2 4 2 5 5 1 1 6 1992 2002 2018 2034 2062 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT SUBSTRATE COMPUTING STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘22 208311institute.com EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. MRL2 /9 6 /10 4 TRL /9 M TERAHERTZ COMPUTER CHIPS, which are still in the Concept Stage and early Prototype Stage, are computer chips that operate multiples times faster than today’s computer chips, operating in the Terahertz performance range, not the Gigahertz performance range. Recently there have been a number of advances in this space thanks to new breakthroughs in material science, especially in the field of Liquid Computing and Liquid Electronics where new kinds of water based transistors which can switch at the picospeed have been developed and tested, as well as 2D Graphene, which many experts see as the successor to traditional silicon, and frequency multiplication, which has allowed researchers to generate electronic signals in the Terahertz range with remarkable efficiency. DEFINITION Terahertz Computer Chips have clock speeds of one Terahertz, which is equal to 1,000 GigaHertz (GHz), or more. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today the first Terahertz Computer Chips prototypes are very basic with researchers using these products to test the viability of the technology. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade research in the field will accelerate, and interest and investment will grow at an accelerating rate, however a lot of that investment will likely be in the form of university grants, and as a result the technology will likely take a long time to be productised. While Terahertz Computer Chips are still in the Concept Stage and early Prototype Stage, they could be enhanced by developments in Graphene, Laser technology, Liquid Computing and Electronics, Semiconductors, and others, but over the long term it is unclear what technology could replace them. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, and re-visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 1 1 6 2 7 2 1 6 1992 2007 2021 2027 2032 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘19 TERAHERTZ COMPUTER CHIPS EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 209311institute.com MRLNext >