Source: Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics explores the critical relationship between Moore's Law and the theoretical concept of the technological singularity—a future point where artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, leading to runaway technological growth. The article explains that Moore's Law, the famous observation by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore that the number of transistors on a chip doubles approximately every two years, has been the primary engine of the exponential increase in computing power for over half a century. This relentless progress has directly enabled the development of today's advanced AI and is seen as a necessary foundation for achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) and, eventually, the singularity.

However, the article delves into the growing consensus among physicists and engineers that Moore's Law is reaching its physical limits. As transistors approach the size of individual atoms, quantum effects begin to interfere with their operation, making it increasingly difficult and expensive to continue the trend. The piece then investigates the potential successors to traditional silicon-based computing that could sustain exponential progress. It discusses emerging technologies such as 3D chip stacking, specialized AI hardware (like TPUs and GPUs), and the more revolutionary paradigm of quantum computing. The central question explored is whether these new approaches can pick up where Moore's Law leaves off, continuing the explosive growth in computational power required to make the technological singularity a reality.