Is the era of shrinking silicon transistors coming to an end?

Science · Published 12 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Silicon transistors enabled the dramatic miniaturization of computers from house-sized machines to wearable watches. This video explores the looming physical limits engineers face as they approach the absolute boundaries of silicon technology.

For decades, the ability to shrink silicon transistors has been the cornerstone of computing advancement. However, engineers are now approaching a critical threshold where further miniaturization may no longer be possible.

This video features insights from Dr. Eric Pop to examine the challenges of hitting the physical limits of silicon and what potential successors to silicon might look like.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• The engineering feat of packing billions of transistors onto a fingernail
• The relentless drive to shrink technology is reshaping everything from microchips to spacecraft
• What happens when silicon transistors can no longer shrink?
• The specific physical properties that made silicon the backbone of computing
• From room-sized vacuum tubes to 5nm transistors: the shrinking giants of logic
• Why the latest IPCC report offers a window of opportunity
• Is boredom actually good for you? Science suggests there are two distinct types.
• Your own body contains physical evidence of the evolutionary history of human beings
• Curiosity does not fade with age, but it does change its form
• The evolutionary lineage that leads to humans began with a fish
• Why ancient mummification was a global phenomenon, not just an Egyptian tradition
• Why Your Brain Needs to Be Fooled to Understand How Reality Is Constructed

More in Science · Latest · A–Z · All topics