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Chapter 05 of 5

The Silicon Limit

When quantum leakage threatens the future of computing and time.

1. The Wall

   Moore’s Law Hits a Ghost

   As transistors shrink to the size of a few atoms, the barriers between them become dangerously thin. Electrons start to tunnel through these walls, creating a phenomenon called leakage.

2. Mechanism

   The Leakage Problem

   In a classical chip, a closed gate stops electricity. In a sub-7nm chip, electrons simply 'ghost' through the gate, wasting power and generating heat.

3. Engineering

   Dark Silicon

   Because of quantum leakage, we cannot power all parts of a modern chip at once without it melting. This unused space is known as 'Dark Silicon'.