The ongoing miniaturization of silicon technology has to end fairly soon, as the atomic scale is approaching rapidly. The 11nm node is scheduled for 2015. The silicon-silicon bond length is 0.235 nm. There's no longer plenty of room at the bottom.
The question is whether, when silicon runs out, something else can take over, or whether we just put our hands up and say "OK, that's it, that's about as fast as our computers are ever gonna get".
There's the possibility that alternative technologies will exist but that they'll be much more expensive. So consumer electronics will be based on silicon, and outrageously expensive supercomputers will use graphene or diamond or any one of a number of currently speculative technologies. So far, though, none of 'em is even close to being able to compete with silicon for any price.
The question is whether, when silicon runs out, something else can take over, or whether we just put our hands up and say "OK, that's it, that's about as fast as our computers are ever gonna get".
There's the possibility that alternative technologies will exist but that they'll be much more expensive. So consumer electronics will be based on silicon, and outrageously expensive supercomputers will use graphene or diamond or any one of a number of currently speculative technologies. So far, though, none of 'em is even close to being able to compete with silicon for any price.