As we approach the limits of miniaturization of silicon semiconductors, at universities and corporate laboratories around the world, researchers are trying to develop the next generation of chip-making technologies.

Stanford University researchers are making prototypes of a new kind of molecular-scale semiconductor nanocircuit called a carbon nanotube field effect transistor (CNFET) that is far smaller and uses far less power than today’s most advanced silicon-based computer circuits. It may one day be the basis for the world’s fastest supercomputers and the smallest and lowest-powered consumer gadgets.

Researchers at HP Labs are close to commercializing another new semiconductor technology based on a circuit element called a “memristor,” which can substitute for transistors, initially in a memory chip that might offer an alternative to both Flash and DRAM memories.