Comparative Study of Alternative Computing Technologies for Speed and Density

Abstract

As we design faster and denser silicon hardware to increase computing performance, some limitations started to appear. It is apparent that these limitations will stifle the growth of performance in the near future. In order to overcome these limitations, alternative computing technologies started to emerge. Among many attempts, biological computing, DNA computing, quantum computing and optical computing emerged as promising technologies. In this present paper we give state of the art of alternative computing technologies and compare them from the viewpoint of speed and density and classify the type of problems they can be used for solving. The driving force behind the search for alternative technologies and the major trends are also explained.