Professor
John Barker FRSE
Nanoelectronics Research Centre, University of Glasgow
Advances in nanotechnology are leading to hardware components involving individual electrons. This molecular-scale regime is the domain of quantum mechanics and enormous gains in computer power become possible through the natural parallelism of quantum structures. But as this pinnacle of solid state technology is reached there has appeared the first serious possibility of organically-based computers. The first DNA computer has been demonstrated. The first molecular switches now exist. Bio-molecular electronics lies at the heart of new classes of sensor devices. The synthesis of these approaches into a new breed of computer technology is creating exciting challenges for the very concept of computers and their possible applications including the prospect of artificial life.