Silicon has been the predominant material in semiconductors and since the industry began using it some 60 years ago, it had a good long run. Silicon is the eight most common element material in the universe. Industries use it with little to no processing. Due to its value as an electric conductivity, silicon and germanium are the two most commonly used element material in semiconductors today. Together they increase the complexity and speed of microprocessors and memory devices.
Technology is changing so rapidly and as a result now there is a new material gaining traction when it comes to semiconductors. It is gallium nitride known as GaN in the technology community. This element material helps to turn on and off things mush faster and can withstand higher voltage than silicon. Semiconductors made of GaN and other compounds appearing in size no larger than a grain of salt can be placed on circuit boards that can make the board smaller, faster, smarter and more power-efficient. GaN is being used in self-driving vehicle prototypes at the moment and soon it will be tested in consumer products and medical equipment. It may not be that long for GaN to be introduced into PCs as well as other mobile devices.