BBC News is running an fascinating article suggesting that computers are already better than doctors at diagnosing certain diseases such as Alzheimers. I wrote extensively about this theme of machines beating man in my book, Jump the Curve, but this future is becoming more obvious all the time.
In another informative article in Information Week, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratories are preparing for the creation of an exascale computer by the year 2018. Such a computer will be a thousand times more capable than today’s most powerful supercomputer and it will have a great many practical applications, including the better and faster diagnosis of diseases.
One of the lesser understood applications of exascale computers can be found in the area of material science analysis. Among the new materials scientists and researchers will be able to create are more efficient photon-absorbing materials. This, in turn, has lead a number of futurists, including myself as I wrote in this piece, to speculate that solar energy could become the pre-dominate form of energy within the next 20 years.
The future is going to be extremely exciting and one of the reasons is exascale computing.
Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future technology and future trends, nanotechnology, robotics, RFID, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and trade associations.
