We can choose technology and architecture separately in designing our high performance system
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Technology is like choosing ants people or tanks as basic units in our society analogy
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or less frivolously neurons or brains
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In HPCC arena, we can distinguish current technologies
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COTS (Consumer off the shelf) Microprocessors
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Custom node computer architectures
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More generally these are all CMOS technologies
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Near term technology choices include
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Gallium Arsenide or Superconducting materials as opposed to Silicon
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These are faster by a factor of 2 (GaAs) to 300 (Superconducting)
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Further term technology choices include
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DNA (Chemical) or Quantum technologies
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It will cost $40 Billion for next industry investment in CMOS plants and this huge investment makes it hard for new technologies to "break in"
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