Token-Based Computing on Nanometer Scales |
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Abstract |
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| @While the ongoing development of nanotechnology is expected to lead to extremely powerful computers, it is likely to require new computer designs. This presentation focusses on designs employing signals in the form of tokens that are passed around asynchronously. Not needing a central clock, such designs promise decreased heat dissipation, which is especially advantageous at high integration densities. Examples given include cascades of interacting elements, which behave like rows of domino stones toppling each other,and asynchronous cellular automata implementing such cascades. Cellular automata have attracted increasing attention for implementations by nanotechnology because of their regularity, which facilitates assembly by chemical synthesis in a self-organized way. |
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