The amount of time currently involved in preparing a DNA processor is extremely large. Fortunately, the enzymes and DNA segments from previous problems can be reused by reassigning them to represent other data sets. This reuseability, combined with future and recent advances in automation, may make the time involved with production less of a concern. It may even be possible for mechanical processors to design and manipulate these chips automatically in the future. To create a DNA chip to process a single event appears to be extremely inefficient.
Supercomputers can process up to one million singular instructions in a second.
DNA computing requires as many as a thousand seconds to complete one instruction. Because the main benefits of DNA computing appears to be in its compact size, low energy requirements, and its proficiency in parallel computing, the future of this type of processing may be simply to augment the shortcomings of today's computer chips. These traits indicate that DNA computing may only be relevant to areas of data storage, sorting, and solving multivariable equations. The future of biochemical computing is far from certain. Current uses of the new technology are limited to solving basic math calculations, sorting data, and other simple problems.