The Economist has an article about Moore's law:

Beyond Moore's law

I'd say the very last paragraph is worth quoting:

As it is, a technology known at POET, developed over the past 20 years by a team at the University of Connecticut, promises to power the next wave of innovation in integrated circuits—by using gallium arsenide to combine optics and electronics in a single chip. The developers claim considerable improvements in power, speed and cost over today’s silicon-based chips. One way or another, it seems the 50-year era of driving semiconductor costs down through improvements in process technology is about to be superseded by a new age of making chips cheaper, faster and better through smarter design. In so doing, Moore’s law could be set for a whole new lease of life.