Dec
2023
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2023
In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore observed
that the capacity of computer chips doubles every
two years; not only describing the industry’s
expontential growth at the time, but also setting in
motion a self-fulfilling prophecy for the technological
development of our society in the decades to
come. Last year, aged 94, he passed away. As we
commemorate his legacy, we take a look ahead: will
we be able to keep Moore’s Law alive, and do we even
want to, given the ecological impact technology has
on our planet and its energy resources?
In 2018, I had the honor to meet the Dalai Lama. At
the time, I was struggling with the question whether
or not a robot can experience human emotions and
feelings, like love. So, when I was presented with
the opportunity to pick the mind and wisdom of
one of the world’s greatest spiritual leaders, I asked
him: Can a robot fall in love? Can robots develop
a conscience, the way humans do? The Dalai Lama
smiled at me, and he told me that the deepest level
of conscience, our being at its core, isn’t something
physical or chemical – and therefore isn’t something
we can build or construct using technology.
The power of tech
But, as I went home I thought to myself, ‘what if
it actually is?’, what if everything – including our
feelings and consciousness - is a product or a result
of the chemical processes taking place in our brain?
Then we can study it, learn from it, try to understand
it and eventually maybe even build something
capable of performing these same processes
responsible for emotions or feelings: we can replicate
the human brain with technology. It would take an
infinite amount of data, and an even more powerful
computer to process – but it would be possible.
I have always been a tech optimist. As a li le boy,
playing around with the tech boxes from Philips,
I learned about the endless opportunities of technology. Technology is my gateway to understanding
the world; it’s what I’m passionate about. I’m curious
about the way things work. So, I became a mechanical engineer. Later on, all grown up, I actually got to
work at Philips myself. This is where I first learned of
Moore’s Law. I learned and saw up close how rapidly
electronics evolved from this law. It catalyzed the implementation of deep fundamental knowledge in the
industry - se ing in motion a wave of technological
development which led to modern society and all of
its technological advantages.
Moore’s Law is about us
To me, Moore’s Law is much more than a quote from
the Intel CEO in a tech magazine in the ‘60s. I think
of Moore’s Law as a formula defining our society,
representing human’s will to keep moving forward.
So far, we’ve been proving that formula right. Over
the past decades, we as humans were able to take
a technological leap, se ing in motion a wave of
exponential growth unmatched in history. Because
make no mistake, Moore’s Law isn’t just about technology, and it most certainly isn’t a force of nature –
it’s about us: people. If we decide to stop innovating,
if we decide to stop moving forward, Moore’s Law
will stop as well.
Lately, some tech institutes and industry leaders are
starting to hold back - saying the Law no longer
applies, is beginning to decline and will eventually
come to a standstill. But I think and see quite the
opposite. I see researchers at TNO investigating and
implementing new technologies, like photonics
and smart materials. Engineers working at leading
Dutch chipcompanies, like ASML, NXP and Nexperia, producing billions of chips that enable our
society. And as a lecturer at Eindhoven University,
I get to educate the next generation, who are eager
and curious to shape the future of technology.
Playing with technology
Don’t get me wrong, I’d be the last to say that (new)
technology isn’t without risk. Of course,
it can be scary, and we should be concerned about
its ecological impact and how we take care of our
energy resources. But let’s not forget that we are in
charge here. We are shaping our society, responsible
for making healthy choices, applying technology
in ways that benefits us, our planet, nature and
our future. I believe that, if we keep making smart
decisions, there isn’t a problem technology can’t
help us solve.
One of my favorite toys to play with is Pleo: a dinolike creature, comparable to a modern-day version
of a Tamagotchi. Pleo starts with a blank page, and
as you play with it, it begins to learn. It grows, starts
to behave differently and grows a character based
on its interactions with you. If you stop playing,
Pleo stops learning. When I showed Pleo to the Dalai
Lama, he instinctively took it into his arms and started to pet it. This interaction showed me that, instead
of being scared, we should approach technology with
curiosity, kindness and an open mind. This is the
way to keep moving forward as a society, step by step.
And if we get lost somehow, we can always look at
Moore’s Law, and see where it got us so far.
