The end of Moore's Law and its impact on devices

The end of an era is approaching. For over 30 years the technology industry has relied on exponential improvements in microprocessor technology, described by Moores Law, to deliver ever-increasing computing power at an ever-decreasing size and cost. However, chip makers have reached a plateau, preventing additional jumps in performance using existing techniques. In addition, consumers are demanding increasingly sophisticated high-end devices with advanced multimedia capability without degrading battery life. The solution to this problem is the adoption of new processors that use symmetric multi-processing (SMP). SMP processors use multiple CPUs within a single chip to deliver extra horsepower. However, there is a cost to this new approach: it increases the complexity of software development, which in turn will impact time-to-market for new devices and services. It will also affect software quality, increasing the likelihood of device returns and increasing support costs for service providers.