Scientists have created the world's smallest electronic switch, measuring just seven atoms. The transistor, measuring four-billionths of a metre and embedded in a single silicone crystal, is the first step in a quantum computer which will make calculations millions of times faster than existing devices. <br/><br/>Michelle Simmons, the lead researcher, said the technology has major implications for code-breaking, financial transactions and weather forecasting, which involve testing enormous numbers of possible scenarios.<br/><br/>The University of New South Wales' Centre for Quantum Computer Technology and the University of Wisconsin-Madison created the transistor by manipulating atoms using a special microscope. <br/><br/>The breakthrough promises to reduce the size of microchips, which contain billions of transistors, by up to 100 times, simultaneously accelerating processing speeds "exponentially."