Diamond may replace silicon in computers

Diamond could be the next key component in making computers, as scientists in California are working on diamond-based computers. This new set of computers would store information millions of times more than the existing silicon-based systems and processes that information dozens of times faster, according to the scientists. 

Commercially available technology has been used by the researchers in order to pattern large sheets of diamonds with tiny, nitrogen-filled holes. These diamond sheets, according to scientists, could be the basis for a supercomputer.

Nitrogen has been in diamonds for as long as there have been diamonds; it's why some diamonds have a yellow hue. For years scientists have used these natural, nitrogen-infused diamonds to study various aspects of quantum mechanics. 

"We've used well-known techniques to create atomic-size defects in otherwise perfect diamonds," Discovery News quoted David Awschalom, a scientist at the University of California.

Though the process of using the diamond-based computing has not been determined yet, there is a possibility that applications could range from designing more efficient silicon-based computers to drug development and cryptography.