Question

Deliberate upon the recent technological developments in energy sector giving appropriate examples.

Answer 1

Unlike some other emerging technology areas where progress is less certain, computing innovation is set to continue at the rapid pace we’ve already witnessed. Back in 1970, Moore’s Law predicted that overall processing power for computers would roughly double every two years – and that has generally continued to hold true. Even if the pace of change slows, new applications provide ongoing potential for digitization to transform the way people live and work, as smart-phones have demonstrated.

The next leap in computing technology looks set to be based on quantum mechanics – the science of atomic structure and function. Quantum computing uses the ‘qubit’, or quantum bit, which can hold an infinite number of values.
Today?
Exponential increases in the power and speed of computers – along with decreasing costs – are already having a significant impact on the energy business, and beyond. As the complexity of technology has evolved, we’ve turned to intricate algorithms to process, model and analyse data. This already requires massive computing power: at BP, we opened our High-Performance Computing Center in Houston, US, two years ago. It’s home to one of the world’s largest supercomputers for commercial research – with a total memory of 1,000 terabytes and disk space of 23.5 petabytes, the equivalent of more than 40,000 average laptop computers. The centre serves as a worldwide hub to process and manage massive amounts of geophysical data, helping our scientists to ‘see’ more clearly what lies beneath the Earth’s surface.
Tomorrow?
Quantum technologies have the potential to process huge data sets at faster rates than today’s silicon-based, digital computers can. They use electrons, or even polarized light, that can be interlinked to perform many operations at once. While currently at an embryonic stage of development, these technologies have been identified as having significant potential