A method for nucleic acid sequencing, the method comprising: a) providing a nucleic acid molecule and a chip comprising a plurality of individually addressable nanopores, wherein said plurality of individually addressable nanopores are at a density of at least 500 individually addressable nanopores per mm 2, wherein said plurality of individually addressable nanopores comprises a nanopore in a lipid bilayer, said nanopore having a nucleic acid polymerase attached to the nanopore adjacent to the entrance of said nanopore, said lipid bilayer disposed adjacent to at least one electrode and separating at least a first and a second electrolyte solution, wherein said at least one electrode senses electrical characteristics of the lipid bilayer including ionic current flow through the individually addressable nanopore, and wherein the released tag translocates through said nanopore; b) providing an ionic current flow across the individually addressable nanopore between the first and second electrolyte solutions by an applied potential; c) directing said nucleic acid molecule to the nucleic acid polymerase attached to the individually addressable nanopore; d) extending a primer hybridized to the nucleic acid molecule using tagged nucleotides, wherein each tagged nucleotide has a tag attached to the 5'-phosphate of the tagged nucleotide, and wherein a tag associated with an individual nucleotide is released from the tagged nucleotide with at least one phosphate attached to the tag upon incorporation of the tagged nucleotide into the primer by the polymerase, and wherein the released tag translocates through said nanopore; and e) detecting the change in ionic current flow across the individually addressable nanopore when the released tag translocates through the nanopore, thereby determining the nucleic acid sequence of the nucleic acid molecule. a) providing a nucleic acid molecule and a chip comprising a plurality of individually addressable nanopores, wherein said plurality of individually addressable nanopores are at a density of at least 500 individually addressable nanopores per mm 2, wherein said plurality of individually addressable nanopores comprises a nanopore in a lipid bilayer, said nanopore having a nucleic acid polymerase attached to the nanopore adjacent to the entrance of said nanopore, said lipid bilayer disposed adjacent to at least one electrode and separating at least a first and a second electrolyte solution, wherein said at least one electrode senses electrical characteristics of the lipid bilayer including ionic current flow through the individually addressable nanopore, and wherein the released tag translocates through said nanopore; b) providing an ionic current flow across the individually addressable nanopore between the first and second electrolyte solutions by an applied potential; c) directing said nucleic acid molecule to the nucleic acid polymerase attached to the individually addressable nanopore; d) extending a primer hybridized to the nucleic acid molecule using tagged nucleotides, wherein each tagged nucleotide has a tag attached to the 5'-phosphate of the tagged nucleotide, and wherein a tag associated with an individual nucleotide is released from the tagged nucleotide with at least one phosphate attached to the tag upon incorporation of the tagged nucleotide into the primer by the polymerase, and wherein the released tag translocates through said nanopore; and e) detecting the change in ionic current flow across the individually addressable nanopore when the released tag translocates through the nanopore, thereby determining the nucleic acid sequence of the nucleic acid molecule.