Solid state [1995 technological forecast]

The coming years see solid-state technology falling deeper under the spell of the expanding multimedia market. This development has already conjured up Mensa-level microprocessors, complex image-processing and graphics circuits, and memories with capacity and bandwidth enough to satisfy the microprocessors' craving for bits and to digest data for visual displays. Portability has its own set of demands: functionality must adopt as compact and efficient a form as the technology permits. Technological highlights for 1995 are likely to include: 1200-MIPS microprocessors; 1Gb DRAMs, the elimination of flux soldering, and polymer transistors.>