Moore's Law and Its Technical Implications

Introduction 

Gordon Moore is one of the most notable individuals that contributed to the growth of technology especially the improvement of semiconductors. Moore’s law is an observation of the growth trend and development in transistors. In an article written in 1965, Moore observed that the number of transistors in every square inch of integrated circuits had been doubling every two years since they were invented. Moore noted that the trend would continue ( Kirilenko & Lo, 2013 ). Even though recent developments have shown a reduction of pace for Moore’s law, installed transistors on silicon chips still double after every 18 months instead of two years. The current definition of Moore’s law uses the 18-month mark. An extension of Moore’s law indicates that computers and machines that use computer technology will reduce in size and get more efficient with time because the improvement of the transistors installed on integrated circuits. A computer becomes more efficient with the increase of the speed with which the microchips processes electrical signals. The cost of the more efficient computers also reduces by approximately 30 percent every year. The creation of high-performance computers makes it possible for manufacturers to automate their production processes, therefore, reducing the cost of production which in turn leads to cheaper high-performance computers. Moore's law has had significant implications over the years and will continue to define the trends in technological advancement ( Kirilenko & Lo, 2013 ). This research paper seeks to analyze Moore's law and its technical implications with a focus on its effects on the future. 

Main Research 

Moore’s law has helped manufacturers around the world to produce better computer products. Kirilenko & Lo observe that Moore went further than observing and stating the increase of the number of chip content to attributing the increase in the number of transistors to certain characteristics used in manufacturing technology. It is obvious that larger chips are more likely to accommodate more components as well as making the components on chips smaller. The desire for manufacturers to make components smaller so that they could fit many of them on chips made them research the most effective method of reducing the size of the components. Miniaturization was discovered as the most efficient method of reducing the size of the components that are supposed to be fixed on a chip. The factor with which the components were supposed to be decreased with was referred to as cleverness, a term coined by Moore (2013). The increase in the number of components on a chip has resulted in more efficient machines as the years go by. 

Moore’s main interest while coming up with Moore’s law was to address the issue of cost during the manufacturing of devices. Moore asserted that the number of components on a chip represented the number that reduced the manufacturing costs. According to him, the more the components on a silicon chip, the cheaper the device. With the aim of creating more cost-efficient devices, many manufacturers today create large wafers which have many chips. The chips house billions of components thus reducing the cost of production. The cost of manufacturing a wafer is divided by the billions of components on the chips. The size of the chip is however limited by the fact that larger chips are prone to defects thus forcing manufacturers to maintain a certain wafer size. A reduction in the cost of production results in low-cost electronic devices ( Gwynne, 2013 ). 

According to Matthews (2017) , t he future of electronic information was determined in 1970 with the invention of the microprocessor and the practical use of the one thousand-bit memory. The microprocessor eventually replaced the magnetic core memory. The developments in technology made manufacturers realize that the future of electronic information depended on the ability to fit as many components as possible on a chip. Increased integration was further boosted by the manufacturing of the CMOS circuitry which could reduce the amount of power used by digital circuits. The development of integrated circuits also meant that companies could efficiently manufacture devices and explore other ways of creating efficient machines and devices. 

The reduction in the cost of larger and efficient machines and increased integration led to machines that could handle complex problems. The existence of machines with huge capabilities to solve any problem meant that there was a need for more digital memory that could help the computers and machines hold critical information. Moore’s law also focused on the reduction of the cost of electronically accessible information. With the high demand for improved memory ability within computers, most manufacturers focused on finding solutions to memory storage ( Gwynne, 2013 ). The strides made in developing the capacity of computers to hold memory is evident in the fact that in 1970 only one-kilo byte could be stored in an individual chip while today, a single chip can store several gigabits of data. Transistors that are currently used in microchips also act as a rapidly accessible memory by many machines. 

Furthermore, Montoya and Kita (2018) argue that the advancement in technology has made it possible to fit millions of transistors integrated into one silicon chip. This has, in turn, resulted in more efficient and faster computers and other devices. The production of quicker and efficient computers has also led to a reduction in the cost of computer devices. This has made it possible for millions of people around the globe to be able to purchase computers thus increasing the penetration of computer technology in many societies around the world. The affordability of new computer applications has also caused the penetration of computer technology in many societies. 

From the analysis of our everyday life, it is evident that integrated circuits have played a significant role in creating a world that is in existence today. The emergence of electronic wristwatch was as a result of technological developments in the creation of the compact circuitry with the ability to count down from megacycle electronic oscillators to the time scales of liquid crystal displays leading to the improvement to the accuracy of timekeeping ( Wasim & Quadri, 2015 ). Integrated circuits also improved on the way that people handled financial transactions as through integrated circuits, and cash transactions were replaced by credit cards. The application of credit cards was made possible by the presence of different electronics that could authorize transactions. Human beings currently enjoy personal computers thanks to the development of integrated circuits. Personal computers have contributed to the growth and development of the internet, making it easy for millions of people around the globe to access vast amounts of information no matter where they are located. Communication has also been significantly improved due to the advancement of computer technology. People are now able to communicate with each other at relatively low costs no matter the distance that separates them. The invention of cell phones revolutionized the communication industry, enabling people to communicate even in areas where there are no physical wires. Another example of how computers have contributed to the lives of many people around the globe is through the enhancement of hearing aids, implantable defibrillatorsimplantable, and cardiac pacemakers. The above devices exist as a result of the miniaturization of electronics. Currently, there are also automobiles with the ability to direct human beings to their destinations due to the existence of electronics which have the capability of processing the information from space satellites of the Global Positioning System that contain maps that are stored in integrated circuits ( Wasim & Quadri, 2015 ). It is without a doubt that the development in integrated circuits will lead to the further advancement of technology, making it possible for various manufacturers to come up with more devices that will make human lives even simpler in future. 

Kirilenko and Lo (2013) note that o f great importance is the fact that continued integration has played a significant part in improving military technology and the ability of countries to protect themselves from different threats. The use of sophisticated military equipment has enabled many countries to defend themselves while incurring minimal casualties. Integration is responsible for the development of navigation and communication equipment, the armoring of soldiers, to the advanced military aircraft and sea vehicles which are useful during combat. The Global Positioning system has come in handy in the development of military power and strength as military forces can identify and hit a target from millions of miles away. Integration is also evident in operation and use of drones which are unmanned flight vehicles that the can conduct reconnaissance missions and even hit targets accurately. It is without a doubt that military technology will only improve in the future because of the endless possibilities presented by continued integration. 

Conclusion 

In summation, the above analysis demonstrates how Moore’s laws have impacted technological advancement and the future. In an article written in 1965, Moore observed that the number of transistors in every square inch on integrated circuits had been doubling every two years since they were invented. Moore noted that the trend would continue. His observation led to the emergence of Moore’s law which is still used to this day. Moore’s law has helped manufacturers around the world to produce better computer products. The increase in the number of chip content led to the creation of more efficient and cost-effective devices. Moore asserted that the number of components on a chip represented the number that reduced the manufacturing costs. According to him, the more the components on a silicon chip, the cheaper the device. Furthermore, the future of electronic information was determined in 1970 with the invention of the microprocessor and the practical use of a thousand-bit memory which eventually replaced the magnetic core memory. From the analysis of our everyday life, it is evident that integrated circuits have played a significant role in creating the world that is in existence today from the development of wristwatches to the military technology used by different armies in the world, it is clear that integration will continue shaping the future of technology in the world. 

References 

Gwynne, P. (2013). Predicting the progress of technology.  Research Technology Management, 56 (4), 2-3.  

Kirilenko, A. A., & Lo, A. W. (2013). Moore's law versus Murphy's Law: Algorithmic trading and its Discontents.  The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 27 (2), 51-72. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1257/jep.27.2.51 

Matthews, J. (2017). A nostalgic look back at library hi-tech (nology).  Library Hi Tech, 35 (1), 92-98. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/LHT-10-2016-0116 

Montoya, J. S., & Kita, T. (2018). Exponential growth in product performance and its implications for disruptive innovation theory.  International Journal of Business and Information, 13 (1), 1-36. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.6702/ijbi.201803_13 (1).0001 

Wasim, A. B., & Quadri, S. (2015). Big data promises value: Is hardware technology taken onboard?  Industrial Management & Data Systems, 115 (9), 1577-1595. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-04-2015-0160