zlacker

Since this isn't the 1960s, and it's Google with their resources, maybe they'd go for some superconducting logic based on Josephson Junctions, like RSFQ? In parts, at least?

So they wouldn't have the burden of cooling it down first, like on earth? Instead being able to rely on the cold out there, as long as it stays in the shadow, or is otherwise isolated from sources of heat? Again, with less mess to deal with, like on earth? Since it's fucking cold up there already? And depending on the ratio of superconducting logic vs. conventional CMOS or whatever, less need to cool that, because superconducting stuff emits less heat, and the remaining 'smartphony' stuff is easy to deal with?

If I had those resorces at hand, I'd try.

>>LargoL+(OP)
The basic principle still is that you need to shed as heat whatever energy you absorbe from the Sun. Electronics don't create extra heat, they convert electricity into it. So, unless I'm missing something, I'd expect any benefit of superconducting to manifest as less power required per unit of compute, or more compute per fixed energy budget. Power requirements can't go to zero for fundamental reasons (that make parts of CS into branches of physics).

> If I had those resorces at hand, I'd try.

I would too, and maybe they will, eventually. This paper is merely exploring whether there's a point in doing it in the first place.

>>LargoL+(OP)
> Instead being able to rely on the cold out there, as long as it stays in the shadow, or is otherwise isolated from sources of heat?

All the sources of power to run anything are also sources of heat. Doesn't matter if they're the sun or RTGs, they're unavoidably all sources of heat.

> Since it's fucking cold up there already?

Better to describe it as an insulator, rather than hot or cold.

> If I had those resorces at hand, I'd try.

FWIW, my "if I had the resources" thing would be making a global power grid. Divert 5% of current Chinese aluminium production for the next 20 years. 1 Ω the long way around when finished, and then nobody would need to care about the duty cycle of PV.

China might even do it, there was some news a while back about a trans-Pacific connection, but I didn't think to check if it was some random Chinese company doing a fund-raising round with big plans, or something more serious.