4um: Superconductor Breakthrough Findings Replicated, Twice, in Preliminary Testing

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Title: Superconductor Breakthrough Findings Replicated, Twice, in Preliminary Testing
Source: [None]
URL Source: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/s ... -breakthrough-replicated-twice
Published: Aug 2, 2023
Author: Mike Rivero
Post Date: 2023-08-02 14:22:33 by Horse
Keywords: None
Views: 40
Comments: 2

Humanity may be in the throes of another breakthrough that's every bit as impactful as the invention of the transistor and the advent (and eventual vindication) of quantum computing. LK-99, as it's been named, is a new compound that researchers believe will enable the fabrication of room-temperature, ambient-pressure superconductors. Initially published by a Korean team last Friday, frantic work is underway throughout the research world to validate the paper's claims. For now, two separate sources have already provided preliminary confirmations that this might actually be the real thing — Chinese researchers have even posted video proof.
Poster Comment:
This would be good news if it were not the CCP will own the patents. Makes boycotts difficult.
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#1. To: Horse (#0)
"Superconductors mean almost perfectly efficient computing."

No they don't. The only reasonable definition of "perfectly efficient computing" would be computing that requires no energy to perform. That's impossible, even if all the internal interconnection nodes of a computer chip were completely lossless. Computers use silicon semiconductors, and much of the power a computer requires is due to the parasitic capacitance of the millions of semiconductor gates that are switching (changing state) millions of times per second. Each change of state requires that the junction's parasitic capacitance be recharged or discharged, and that requires energy to do. The power (energy per unit of time) required is proportional to the switching frequency (the faster a computer is the more power it requires) and the square of the voltage (that's the motivation for lower and lower CPU core operating voltages).

StraitGate posted on 2023-08-02 20:04:06 ET Reply Trace Private Reply
#2. To: StraitGate (#1) (Edited)
The power (energy per unit of time) required is proportional to the switching frequency (the faster a computer is the more power it requires) and the square of the voltage (that's the motivation for lower and lower CPU core operating voltages).

This tells me those supercomputers the NSA uses to spy on everyone are big power hogs. It makes me wonder if they have their own private generating stations because the power bill would be HUGE.
They also need to keep their units running cool. Some laptops have a small fan to cool the unit, but mine does not. ;)
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
BTP Holdings posted on 2023-08-02 20:09:05 ET Reply Trace Private Reply
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