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University of Toronto physicists identify ‘octupolar’ magnetism, with implications for quantum technologies

Physicists at University of Toronto have identified 'octupolar' magnetism, a complex form of magnetism with eight poles, using light to probe atomic vibrations. This discovery opens up new avenues for quantum technology development, including controllable memory elements and computing devices.

SourceUniversity of Toronto·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateSep 29, 2026

Scientists create rare material that could pave the way for faster, greener computer memory

Researchers at the University of Warwick have created a new material combining magnetism and electrical polarisation, making it possible to switch magnetic information using an electric field. The material works at close to room temperature, a significant breakthrough for energy-efficient computer memory.

SourceUniversity of Warwick·JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 8, 2026

KAIST tames a semiconductor greenhouse gas 6,000 times more potent than CO₂ with the ‘power of disorder’

KAIST researchers have developed a new catalyst that can remove tetrafluoromethane (CF₄), a greenhouse gas 6,000 times more potent than CO₂, with high efficiency. The catalyst, called entropy-stabilized aluminate (ESA), harnesses the power of disorder to stabilize its structure and maintain performance over extended periods.

SourceThe Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)·JournalAngewandte Chemie International Edition·DateSep 2, 2026

Quantum sensing microscope illuminates transistor design

Researchers created a single-spin quantum microscope to observe magnetic states in atomically thin devices, introducing a conceptual shift in how magnetic transistors can be engineered. The device achieved an electrical on/off ratio of a million percent and a magnetic on/off ratio of 3000 percent.

SourceBoston College·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 20, 2026

Inspired by the brain, researchers build smarter, more efficient computer hardware

University of Missouri researchers develop organic transistors that process information like biological neural networks, boosting brain-like computing and potentially leading to more energy-efficient artificial intelligence. The approach could lead to significant improvements in tasks such as pattern recognition and decision-making.

SourceUniversity of Missouri-Columbia·JournalACS Applied Electronic Materials·DateMay 7, 2026

Powered by mushrooms, living computers are on the rise

Researchers from Ohio State University have developed shiitake-based devices that can act as organic memristors, a type of data processor. These devices demonstrated similar reproducible memory effects to semiconductor-based chips and showed potential for creating low-cost, environmentally friendly brain-inspired computing components.

SourceOhio State University·JournalPLOS One·DateOct 24, 2025

New photon-avalanching nanoparticles could enable next-generation optical computers

Researchers developed new photon avalanching nanoparticles that exhibit high nonlinearities, overcoming challenges in realizing intrinsic optical bistability at the nanoscale. The breakthrough paves the way for fabricating optical memory and transistors on a nanometer scale comparable to current microelectronics.

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalNature Photonics·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 26, 2025

Terabytes of data in a millimeter crystal

The UChicago Pritzker Molecular Engineering team has developed a technique to store classical computer memory in crystal gaps where atoms should be, enabling terabytes of data storage in a small millimeter-sized cube. This innovation combines quantum techniques with solid-state physics to revolutionize classical non-quantum computers.

SourceUniversity of Chicago·JournalNanophotonics·DateFeb 14, 2025

Battery-like computer memory keeps working above 1000°F

Researchers developed a heat-tolerant memory device that can store and rewrite information at temperatures over 1100°F, comparable to the surface of Venus and the melting temperature of lead. The device uses oxygen ions instead of electrons, allowing for precise control of voltage states and potential in-memory computing applications.

SourceUniversity of Michigan·JournalDevice·DateDec 9, 2024

Breakthrough in energy-efficient avalanche-based amorphization could revolutionize data storage

Researchers developed a new method for amorphizing indium selenide wires, requiring as little as one billion times less power density. The process resembles an avalanche and an earthquake, triggering rapid deformation and linking small areas into larger ones, potentially unlocking wider applications for phase-change memory technology.

A multi-level breakthrough in optical computing

Researchers from Pitt, UC Santa Barbara, University of Cagliari, and Institute of Science Tokyo have developed a new method for photonic in-memory computing that combines non-volatility, multibit storage, high switching speed, low switching energy, and high endurance in a single platform.

SourceUniversity of Pittsburgh·JournalNature Photonics·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateOct 23, 2024

For first time, DNA tech offers both data storage and computing functions

Researchers have demonstrated DNA-based technologies that can store, retrieve, compute, erase, and rewrite data. The technology uses soft polymer materials with unique morphologies to create a structure with high surface area for depositing DNA, enabling the full range of operations found in traditional electronic devices.

SourceNorth Carolina State University·JournalNature Nanotechnology·TypeExperimental study·DateAug 22, 2024

Aluminum scandium nitride films: Enabling next-gen ferroelectric memory devices

Researchers have discovered aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN) films that remain stable and maintain their ferroelectric properties at temperatures up to 600°C, making them promising candidates for next-generation ferroelectric memory devices. The films exhibit a high remnant polarization value and only a slight increase in coercive fie...

SourceTokyo Institute of Technology·JournalApplied Physics Letters·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 22, 2024

Staying in the loop: how superconductors are helping computers “remember”

Researchers at the University of California San Diego developed superconducting loops that can demonstrate associative memory, allowing computers to remember relationships between unrelated items. The technology has significant power savings, with a million times less energy requirement than traditional computing architecture.

SourceUniversity of California - San Diego·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateMar 13, 2024

A ferroelectric transistor that stores and computes at scale

A new FE-FET design demonstrates record-breaking performances in computing and memory, achieving large memory window with impressively small device dimensions. The combination of molybdenum disulfide and aluminum scandium nitride materials enables energy-efficient devices for both computing and non-volatile memory applications.

Cutting edge transistors for semiconductors of the future

Researchers at Lund University have created ferroelectric 'grains' that control tunnel junctions in transistors, allowing for individual-level control and optimization of material properties. This breakthrough enables the development of new circuit architectures for neuromorphic computing and energy-efficient semiconductors.

SourceLund University·JournalNature Communications·DateJul 3, 2023

Wonderful and weird

Ferroelectric materials like hafnia show promise for non-volatile random-access memory (RAM) due to their stability at high temperatures. Hafnia's unique properties, including the movement of oxygen vacancies, make it an attractive candidate for memristors that mimic brain-like computer architectures.

SourceUniversity of Groningen·JournalNature Materials·TypeLiterature review·DateJun 20, 2023