Beyond silicon: New computing paradigms

The meaning and implementation of the term "computing" has changed greatly since ACM was first organized 60 years ago. This special section presents overview articles collectively called "non-silicon-based new computing paradigms." Although these paradigms often differ from one another significantly, there are three common characteristics: the techniques are not based on the traditional silicon-based integrated circuit technology; the basic computing elements have been physically implemented, meaning they are not just theory; and many of them aim at miniaturization, often on the order of 1 - 100 nanometers. Here, the term "computing" is employed in a very broad sense. © 2007 ACM.