Graphene: Computing of the Future

Graphene may have far-reaching implications for the average person, but for tech nerds and geeks, it may be completely life-altering. For example, graphene is capable of enduring up to 10 degrees Celcius more heat energy than silicon, allowing for at least double the life span of silicon-based devices and lithium-ion batteries (http://gigaom.com/2013/07/05/graphene-may-give-us-cooler-longer-lasting-computers/).

To add more perspective, graphene could result in internet speeds up to one hundred times faster than current speeds, and computer processors that reach up to 1 THz. This means no more waiting for Youtube to load, and no more constant monitoring of web downloads; these kinds of things will become instantaneous. What's more, graphene may lead the way to entirely new technologies, such as electronic paper and bendable screens on electronic devices (http://phys.org/news/2013-10-graphene-potential-carbon-atom-thick-material.html). Naturally this tidbit of information should prompt computer enthusiasts everywhere to invest in graphene-based computing, but the real eye-popper is the effects graphene's discovery will have in the realm of quantum computing.

A prototypical quantum computing chip, manufactured by D-Wave Systems Inc.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computer

Quantum computing has long been theorized, but still seems somewhat distant in terms of implementation. Luckily, graphene's superconducting ability comes to the rescue. In order for quantum computing to exist, qubits, or the basic unit of information in quantum computers, must be transmitted at inconceivable speeds. According to a nature.com article Quantum Computers, graphene has excellent properties for hosting arrays of electron-based qubits, making it an ideal conductor for quantum computing. To put this in more technical terms, a 2007 article on the rise of graphene explains:

An extremely weak spin-orbit coupling and the absence of hyperfine interaction in C-graphene make it an excellent if not ideal material for making spin qubits. This guarantees graphene-based quantum computation to become an active research area. (http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/v6/n3/full/nmat1849.html)

In short, graphene is the ideal superconductor for modern computation, and is paving the road towards computer that operate on a level that has yet to be conceptualized. Nearly arbitrarily fast computers means that infinite data could be stored and accessed in a matter of secods, allowing for faster-paced scientific research, communications, gaming, nearly everything. I shouldn't have to say it at this point, but you need to invest in graphene-based computing as soon as possible, maybe even right now.