The answer does not lie in chipping away material atom by atom, but by building it up, atom by atom. In searching for ways to do this, we have found that the answer is all around us. Biological processes have operated at the atomic scale since the beginning of life on Earth. Modern lithography exploits the technology of photography to mass produce circuitry at the micron scale. In fact, biology can provide the ultimate capability and inspiration to achieve the full potential of the digital revolution.
Atoms work together to form complex molecules.
Groups of molecules perform more complex operations. The complex molecules assemble into higher level building blocks cell membranes, internal structures and DNA the subcomponents of a cell. Chemical and electronic communications between cells enable the components to come together and work as an integrated system. This same hierarchy applies to how we design and build our current information systems software and computers. The microchips that are so ubiquitous in our daily lives are built from millions of simple electronic gates assembled into computational cells that are laid out in complex circuits.