In this piece, we will take a look at the 12 most advanced countries in computer technology. For more countries, head on over to 5 Most Advanced Countries in Computer Technology.
Computer technology is the backbone of the modern world. Ever since Charles Babbage started tinkering around with what was called the Difference Engine in 1822 and Konrad Zuse built the Z3 in 1938, computing has improved by leaps and bounds. A simple example of this fact is that some of the first computers weighed as much as 70 kilograms, and today’s most advanced processor has transistors that are as small as 3 nanometers. For reference, a single human hair is thought to be as thick as 100,000 nanometers.
Much of the advancement in the modern day computing era has come through hardware innovation. Semiconductors, which have become one of the most prized products in the world, are the chips that power devices such as smartphones and laptops. These owe their origins to a flurry of developments that took place in the United States in the 1970s. In fact, the U.S. Navy can very well be said to have developed the world’s first chip, when it teamed up with Garrett AiResearch to develop a computer for the F-14 Tomcat fighter jet. At the same time, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) Intel 4004 and a similar product from Texas Instruments Incorporated (NASDAQ:TXN) were also taking shape. From then until now, billions of microprocessors have been produced, and the rest is history.
While the microprocessor is the heart of computer technology, since no computer can run without it, the field itself involves a variety of other subsystems as well. These include, but are not limited to random access memory (RAM), storage, monitors, display units, peripherals, routers, power management devices, signals processors, and brackets. The industry itself is one of the largest in the world, and according to the research firm The Business Research Company, the global information technology market was worth a whopping $8.3 trillion in 2020. That’s right folks, IT is more valuable than crude oil in today’s world. By the end of 2022, due in just a couple of days, the research firm expects that the IT industry will be worth another stunning $9.3 trillion.
However, even though IT has taken the world by storm, its days are numbered. The physical limit of microprocessors is fast approaching, which in simple terms means that after 2-nanometer and maybe 1-nanometer, hardware will stop advancing. Major chipmakers such as Intel and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE:TSM) aim to start producing 2-nanometer chips in 2025, so perhaps the end of computing advancement might be with us by the end of this decade.
The ‘end’ of traditional computing of course. Even as silicon-based chips are at their peak, quantum computing is only starting. While a traditional computer makes billions of on/off or 0/1 calculations by turning its transistors on or off, a quantum computer is not
