Beyond Chips, Silicon, & Data Centers: The Coming Terahertz Waferscale Paradigm
View at YouTubeGeorge Gilder and Robert Metcalfe explore the evolution of semiconductor technology and the emerging shift from traditional chips to waferscale integration (WSI). Gilder reflects on how the “Planar Revolution” in integrated circuits, initiated by figures like Bob Noyce and Carver Mead, fundamentally changed computing by introducing flat, integrated circuits. This led to the proliferation of microchips. However, the current chip-centric model, represented by companies like NVIDIA and their 3D chip designs for AI, is reaching its peak.
Gilder proposes that the next step in computing will be wafer scale integration, which maintains the planar principle but eliminates the need for small, discrete chips. In WSI, large wafers are used to create vast arrays of interconnected components, bypassing traditional limitations like the use of individual die (chips). Companies like Cerebras and Tesla (with Musk’s Dojo system) are pioneering this approach.
Gilder also highlights the potential of graphene, especially when integrated with silicon carbide, to revolutionize electronics by offering superior speed, strength, and flexibility compared to silicon. This new paradigm, focusing on the efficiency of WSI and new materials, is expected to lead to a superabundant future in technology and economics, transforming the world in ways that are yet to be fully realized.
George Gilder, co-founder of Discovery Institute, is a Senior Fellow of the Center on Wealth and Poverty. Gilder is a best-selling author of over 30 books focusing on economics, technology, and society.
Dr. Robert Metcalfe is an engineer and entrepreneur who helped pioneer the Internet starting in 1970. He co-invented Ethernet, co-founded 3Com and formulated Metcalfe’s law, which describes the effect of a telecommunications network.