"Diamond Age" is a nickname given to the age in human history that will become possible with the advent of advanced nanotechnology (often called molecular nanotechnology or MNT). The capability to engineer the world around us to atomic precision—every atom where we want and need it to be—will, many optimists and futurists expect, allow us to live in a world of abundance.

Diamondoid materials, or in any case carbon-rich molecular structures, will likely be prevalent in such an age. Diamond has unusual strength and we are already beginning to exploit other carbon-based nanodevices such as nanotubes and fullerenes. So whether the diamond form of carbon structures becomes widely used or not, the "Diamond Age" remains a fitting name for such a sparkling future.

What will the "Diamond Age" hold for us all?:

Been there, done that:

• Nanotubes, fullerenes
• Single-molecule diodes
• Moving single atoms on the surface of a material into arbitrary locations with scanning probe microscopes
  

Coming soon:

• A race to mature assembly techniques
• Painstaking and increasingly ambitious construction and testing of nanodevices in laboratories
• Prototype nanocomputer parts and whole
• Major hype and investment (you thought "dot com" was annoying... wait until you hear "nano" for the billionth time)

Singularity:

• A universal assembler - a nanomachine capable of making arbitrary molecules/nanodevices (as well as replicating itself)... or perhaps more realistically a suite of sophisticated techniques and tools that makes contruction of a wide range of nanodevices possible

An unbounded future:

• Thorough and inexpensive control of the structure of matter
• Effective elimination of poverty, pollution and disease
• Tiny computers 8 orders of magnitude faster than today's (and strong artificial intelligence, AI)

OK, now you're freaking me out:

• Immortality (or at least preventing and reversing the effects of aging)
• Utility fog