Proximity Computing Coming Soon?by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 02 May 2007 03:41 AM Have your heard of proximity computing? It promises to dramatically increase data transaction speeds between computer chips while greatly reducing power consumption. What is more, is that the technology seems to be able to work like magic, allowing computer chips to communicate with each other without actually making physical contact. So instead of being connected to each other, the chips interconnect, communicate and function by just being in close proximity, hence the new technology name. Proximity computing is currently being developed by Sun Microsystems. Last Thursday, the company debuted a prototype chip that they call the "Sedna," during Sun Lab's research open house. The claim is that the new technology and proximity computing technique allows for connections between computer chips that are "100 times more dense" than what is currently being used in chip technology. Basically this means that more data can travel along the connection at the same time, making the computing speed much faster than what is available in current computing technology. "The technique locates two areas at a distance of a few microns. Placing an electric charge on one of the surfaces is transmitted to the other chip, essentially creating a capacitor," IT Week recently reported. Sun Labs reported that the technology is mostly completed and ready to launch. It just needs to be implemented. Two possible first implementations could be for use in a network switch or in cache memory. Last November, Sun Microsystems lost the US government (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) funding it had been given toward developing the technology. Instead that money went to other companies to fund research for developing the next generation of super computers. Bob Sproull, the director for Sun Labs does not seem worried about the lack of funding, perhaps because the technology is already so far along in its development. What do you think of proximity computing? Mary Ann Romans writes about her family's money saving secrets in the Frugal Living Blog here at Families.com Related Articles: Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantcomputers tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags chip, proximity computing, Sun Microsystems Discuss this article
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