Encore: Beyond Silicon? The New Materials Charting the Future of Microchips

03/03/23 • 20 min

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Microchips are in pretty much all of our electronic devices—if it’s got a plug or a battery, it’s probably got a chip. For the past 60 years, most of these have been made of silicon. But new devices demand faster, better, and more efficient processors, and engineers are hitting silicon’s physical limits. In this encore episode of the Future of Everything, WSJ’s Alex Ossola digs into the future of chips—how scientists are boosting silicon’s capabilities and looking for other materials that could take its place.

Further reading:

Graphene and Beyond: The Wonder Materials That Could Replace Silicon in Future Tech

The Microchip Era Is Giving Way to the Megachip Age

Chips Act Will Create More Than One Million Jobs, Biden Says

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Further reading:

Graphene and Beyond: The Wonder Materials That Could Replace Silicon in Future Tech

The Microchip Era Is Giving Way to the Megachip Age

Chips Act Will Create More Than One Million Jobs, Biden Says

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Previous Episode

Why the Future of Mental Health Care Could Be in Your Gut

A growing body of research suggests that the gut microbiome, the bacteria and other organisms that live in the gut, is linked to our mental health. But what if doctors could act on that information to treat mental illness by changing the gut microbiome? WSJ’s Alex Ossola talks to some of the top researchers in the emerging field of psychobiotics to explore how changing what’s in the gut could lead to future psychiatric treatments.

Help is available: Reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) by dialing or texting 988.

Further reading:

Gut Bacteria Are Linked to Depression

What Is Your Microbiome? A Wellness Trend Taking On Post-Covid Urgency

Modern Life Is Messing With Our Microbiomes, but Science Is Fighting Back

Diets Engineered to Work With Your Microbiome Are Latest Startup Craze

Those Probiotics May Actually Be Hurting Your ‘Gut Health’

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Next Episode

Melting Ice & Undersea Cables: How the Arctic Is Getting Fast Internet

High-speed internet is something many of us take for granted. But the FCC says millions of Americans lack access to broadband service. That includes many people who live in the northernmost parts of Alaska, where satellite internet has long been the only option. That’s changing, though, as melting sea ice is leading a rush of companies to step in and start laying new undersea cables. WSJ Pro reporter Isabelle Bousquette visited parts of the Arctic where high-speed internet has made it easier to learn and even saved lives. She speaks with WSJ’s Danny Lewis about the huge educational, medical and research implications for people in the Arctic and beyond.

Further reading:

A Warming Arctic Emerges as a Route for Subsea Cables - WSJ

Climate Change in Arctic Is Changing How People There Live and Work - WSJ

Google, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft Weave a Fiber-Optic Web of Power - WSJ

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