Continuum Computer Architecture for Nano-scale and Ultra-high Clock Rate Technologies

The anticipated advent of practical nanoscale technology sometime in the next decade with likely experimental technologies nearer term presents enormous opportunities for the realization of future high performance computing potentially in the pan-Exaflops performance domain (10 18 to 10 21 flops), but imposes substantial, albeit exciting, technical challenges as well. With device density (basic components per unit area) at nanoscale predicted at least 1000X today's commercial feature size and local clock rates expected to be at least 10X that of current generation semiconductor technology, advanced technologies will perform in an operational regime dramatically different from conventional CMOS-based microprocessors and DRAM at present.