Scientists have created the world's smallest electronic switch which may lead to making of the next generation computer with millions times faster calculation speed.
The transistor, measuring four-billionths of a metre and embedded in a single silicone crystal, is the first step in a "quantum computer" which will make calculations millions of times faster than existing devices.
The technology has major implications for code-breaking, financial transactions and weather forecasting, which involve testing enormous numbers of possible scenarios, Michelle Simmons, the lead researcher, said.
"You'll be able to solve problems that would take longer than the life of the universe with a classical computer," she was quoted as saying by telegraph.co.uk.
The invention promises to reduce the size of microchips, which contain billions of transistors, by up to 100 times, simultaneously accelerating processing speeds "exponentially."
The University of New South Wales' Centre for Quantum Computer Technology (CQCT) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison created the transistor by manipulating atoms using a special microscope.
The team is now working towards the first ultra-fast quantum computer, predicted to be the size of a current silicone chip. Commercial applications for the technology are expected to come in five years.