IBM rethinking decades-old computer design with $3 billion investment

IBM will pour $3 billion into computing and chip materials research over the next five years, as it rethinks computer design and looks to a future that may not involve silicon chips. The computer design initiative could pave the way for functional quantum and cognitive computers that mimic brain functionality. "The basic architecture of the computer has remained unchanged since the 1940s. We feel, given the kinds of problems we see today, [that] this is the time to start looking for new forms of computing," said Supratik Guha, director of physical sciences for IBM Research. An IBM chip made using graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms with tremnedous capabilities for conducting heat and electricity.