A multinational team of scientists, including researchers from the University of Limerick in Ireland, has identified a novel molecule that might help computers make even faster decisions.
The energy-saving discovery, which resulted in the development of a new sort of computing architecture, might have far-reaching implications in fields ranging from financial decision-making to bioinformatics.
The Bernal Institute at UL revealed that a small molecule made up of only 77 atoms provides a new fundamental electronic circuit element in which complex logic is encoded in nanoscale material characteristics. By optimizing the electrical properties of soft crystals produced from molecules, the new type of brain-inspired computer architecture was constructed.
“We are excited about the possibilities because the devices show all the hallmarks of brain computing. First, a huge number of tiny, identical molecular processors are networked together and work in parallel. More importantly, they show both redundancy and reconfigurability, which means the device can solve problems even if the individual components do not all work perfectly all the time or in the exact same way every time.” explained the Science Foundation Ireland-supported scientist.
The discovery was just published in the journal Nature.
