Trends in computer technology

Why trends matter

Computer architecture is not static. Each generation changes the balance between compute, storage, and communication, and those changes ripple into how software is written and where it runs.

The broad progression

• Mainframes centralised compute in a few large machines.
• Personal computers moved compute to the desktop.
• Mobile and embedded systems pushed compute into everyday objects.
• Cloud and edge split workloads between data centres and the devices themselves.

Impact on architecture

Emerging technologies change architecture in three consistent ways:

1. Heterogeneous compute — CPUs now sit beside GPUs, NPUs, and dedicated accelerators.
2. Power as a first-class constraint — mobile and IoT devices trade performance for battery life.
3. Distribution — processing moves toward the edge to reduce latency and bandwidth.

Check your understanding

• Name one architectural change driven by mobile computing.
• Explain why edge processing suits IoT better than always sending raw data to the cloud.