Programming Technology for Molecular-Scale Computing

Abstract

Progress in molecular electronics is beginning to yield the technology for creating structures that incorporate myriads of nanoscale computationally active units. These could be fabricated at almost no cost, provided (1) the individual units need not all work correctly; and (2) there is no need to manufacture precise geometrical arrangements of the units or precise interconnections among them. Programming such structures to perform useful computations is a significant challenge. The objective of the research proposed here is to create foundational programming technology for reliably obtaining coherent, prespecified behavior from vast numbers of unreliable information- processing units, irregularly arranged and interconnected in unknown and even time-varying ways. Our approach combines principles for controlling complexity, drawn from computer science, with techniques for robust design, inspired by biology.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2004
Accession Number
ADA424551

Entities

People

  • Gerald J. Sussman
  • Hal Abelson
  • Radhika Nagpal
  • Thomas F. Knight

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Assembly Lines
  • Biology
  • Cell Physiological Processes
  • Circuits
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Science
  • Computers
  • Digital Circuits
  • Electrical Circuits
  • Electronics
  • Engineering
  • Environment
  • Information Processing
  • Language
  • Logic Gates
  • Materials
  • Molecular Electronics

Readers

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Regression Analysis.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics