As artificial intelligence and other computer software become more, well, intelligent, computers are going to need a lot more processing power while still being able to fit in your pocket.
Hello, graphene.
Graphene – the seemingly miraculous sheets of carbon one atom thick – already can be configured for use as water filters, biosensors, and battery parts, among other things.
Now researchers at the University of Sussex have turned graphene into what may be the world’s smallest microchips.
The experimenters were working in “straintronics,” which involves folding, crumpling, twisting, and otherwise playing with graphene’s shape to see how its properties change with its configuration.
They discovered that creasing or kinking strips of graphene made them work like little semiconductors, creating microchips as much as 100 times smaller than conventional silicon chips.
Other differences from traditional chips: the graphene versions don’t require doping with additional materials and can be fabricated at room temperatures, requiring less energy to make.
TRENDPOST: Conventional methods of manufacturing silicon chips are reaching their practical limits of miniaturization, while computers and their users are demanding more and more processing power. The artificial intelligence revolution will expand those demands by orders of magnitude.
The use of graphene computer chips is a breakthrough that can micro-miniaturize crucial components and carry tabletop and portable computers well into the consumer-level AI revolution.
Photo credit: University of Sussex
