The Future of Computing: Harnessing the Power of Light

🌍The digital economy's carbon emissions account for 1% of the world's total.

💻Smartphones, computers, data centers, and digital activities consume around 7% of the world's electricity.

🌐Data centers, processing the world's information, use massive amounts of electricity and are projected to use even more in the future.

🚀Scientists and startups worldwide are developing low-energy computer chips to address the energy consumption problem.

🌈Silicon photonics and carbon nanotubes offer the potential for faster and more energy-efficient computing.

How much of the world's carbon emissions are caused by the digital economy?

—1%

What percentage of the world's electricity is consumed by digital activities?

—Around 7%

What are data centers and how much electricity do they use?

—Data centers are large facilities that process and store digital information. They are estimated to use a significant amount of electricity, around 7% of the world's total.

How are scientists and startups addressing the energy consumption problem?

—They are developing low-energy computer chips using technologies such as carbon nanotubes and silicon photonics.

What benefits do carbon nanotubes and silicon photonics offer for computing?

—They offer the potential for faster and more energy-efficient computing compared to traditional silicon-based transistors.

00:02The digital economy's energy consumption is a significant concern, with carbon emissions accounting for 1% of the world's total.

00:23Data centers, smartphones, computers, and digital activities use approximately 7% of the world's electricity.

02:05Carbon nanotubes and silicon photonics offer the potential for faster and more energy-efficient computing.

06:00Scientists and startups are developing low-energy computer chips to address the energy consumption problem.

11:13Lightmatter, a startup, is leading the way in developing photonic computers for AI applications.