I'm curious if anyone has come across any graphs or reliable studies that track the increase of raw computing power throughout human history. I've mainly found references to Moore's Law, which seems to be slowing down, along with some general insights from the venture capital world. Ideally, I'm interested in data starting from around 1945, and it would be fascinating to see how this evolution connects to earlier computing innovations like the abacus and the theoretical concept of the singularity.
3 Answers
There’s a pretty good chart in 'The Singularity is Nearer' that covers this topic. You could also check this link for a chart someone shared last year: [https://www.reddit.com/r/singularity/s/da6XpA1G2l](https://www.reddit.com/r/singularity/s/da6XpA1G2l)
Are you focusing just on the last couple of decades, or is your interest broader?
I’d actually like some info from 1945 onwards! It would be insightful to see how raw computing power developed from earlier inventions to now.
Ray Kurzweil has several visuals in his books that explore computing power growth. A quick image search should help you find some graphs, or you could even query AI for more specifics.
Great tip! I heard he has a new book coming out in 2024, so I might check that out too.
Thanks for that! I’ll check it out. It seems like a solid starting point.