Computer Shopper - UK (2020-03)

103

Processors mayhave

become faster,but the

basicmethodofcomputing

hasn’t changedfor decades.

Mike Bedfordinvestigates

alternativecomputing

paradigmsand considers

whetherany mightupset

thestatusquo oneday

fyou were totakeastraw poll on the underlying characteristics of today’s

computers, we can make agood guess about some of the ways they’d be

described. While the replies would differ depending on the level of technical

awareness of the respondent, common answers would surely include

electronic, digital, silicon, universal, sequential, stored program, and von Neumann

architecture.Indeed, all of these words and phrases go some waytodescribing the

processors that power our PCs. But this raises an interesting question. Given the fact

that the electronic digital stored program computer has been the dominant force for

over 70 years, and processors based on silicon chips have been around foralmost 50

years, does today’s technology represent the pinnacle of achievement, or is there an

alternative approach waiting in the wings?

The fact is, around the world researchers are studying many new and exciting models

of computation, and even trying to revive some old ones. Some could be described as

evolutionary,but many are truly revolutionary.Some are technologies that you might

reasonably expect, while others are weird in the extreme but, forall that, might have a

part to playinthe future of computing. So if you’re intrigued at the idea of aslime mould

computer,prepare to be amazed as we take alook at alternative computing paradigms.