A new "bit switch" could change the future of AI.
A team of scientists from Singapore has created a microelectronic device that can potentially function as a high-performance and eco-friendly "bit switch", paving the way for future computer technologies that can process data much faster with significantly lower power consumption.
The secret lies in tiny, stable and fast magnetic vortices called skyrmions. A device that uses these properties can operate with 1,000 times less power than existing commercial memory technologies.
Emerging AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, require processing huge amounts of data at colossal speeds, which leads to huge energy costs. ICTs already consume almost 20% of the world's electricity, and as sophisticated AI models grow, this figure will only grow. To meet fast-growing needs, the fundamental computing "switch", or memory bit, has been reduced to microscopic dimensions, approaching its physical limits.
Unlocking the potential of skyrmions
Skyrmions are tiny magnetic vortices, 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, that form in certain magnetic layers when they are made extremely thin. Vortices discovered just 10 years ago can be extremely stable, compact, and move efficiently between magnetic regions. They are ideal mobile switches for efficient processing of large amounts of data required for AI technologies.
To unlock the vast potential of skyrmions, it is necessary to access them using electrical pathways similar to those used in computers. Although skyrmions can be seen with special microscopes, and their manipulation with bulky magnets has been carried out for more than 10 years, the lack of electrical control was a serious obstacle to their technological applicability.
Artistic image of a microelectronic device (left) and a 200 mm diameter plate containing more than 100,000 microelectronic devices
The breakthrough of the research team is that for the first time they managed to achieve electrical reading ("identification") of the skyrmion and electrical switching between states (for example, from "0" to "1" and vice versa). To do this, the team used a device known as a tunnel junction, which operates at room temperature and is widely used in commercial applications for memory and hard drives.
Scientists have found that the special properties of skyrmions allow switching between states, consuming 1,000 times less energy than commercial devices. In addition, it was found that more than two states can be reached in a single device, which eliminates the need to reduce the device size to improve performance.
In addition, skyrmions can be used to create new types of logic devices that will be more energy efficient and compact than existing transistors. Skyrmions can also be used to create neuromorphic computing systems that can mimic the work of the human brain.
Future research direction
The developed microelectronic device will help consolidate skyrmions as an integral component of future computing. Microelectronic devices are manufactured on 200 mm silicon wafers using materials and techniques that are already used in existing microelectronic manufacturing facilities in Singapore and around the world.
The team hopes that once the electrical characteristics are further improved, the advanced computing switch can be easily integrated into microprocessors using conventional approaches. The Group is looking for opportunities to collaborate with semiconductor manufacturers and system integrators to scale the technology and implement it more widely.
A team of scientists from Singapore has created a microelectronic device that can potentially function as a high-performance and eco-friendly "bit switch", paving the way for future computer technologies that can process data much faster with significantly lower power consumption.
The secret lies in tiny, stable and fast magnetic vortices called skyrmions. A device that uses these properties can operate with 1,000 times less power than existing commercial memory technologies.
Emerging AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, require processing huge amounts of data at colossal speeds, which leads to huge energy costs. ICTs already consume almost 20% of the world's electricity, and as sophisticated AI models grow, this figure will only grow. To meet fast-growing needs, the fundamental computing "switch", or memory bit, has been reduced to microscopic dimensions, approaching its physical limits.
Unlocking the potential of skyrmions
Skyrmions are tiny magnetic vortices, 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, that form in certain magnetic layers when they are made extremely thin. Vortices discovered just 10 years ago can be extremely stable, compact, and move efficiently between magnetic regions. They are ideal mobile switches for efficient processing of large amounts of data required for AI technologies.
To unlock the vast potential of skyrmions, it is necessary to access them using electrical pathways similar to those used in computers. Although skyrmions can be seen with special microscopes, and their manipulation with bulky magnets has been carried out for more than 10 years, the lack of electrical control was a serious obstacle to their technological applicability.
Artistic image of a microelectronic device (left) and a 200 mm diameter plate containing more than 100,000 microelectronic devices
The breakthrough of the research team is that for the first time they managed to achieve electrical reading ("identification") of the skyrmion and electrical switching between states (for example, from "0" to "1" and vice versa). To do this, the team used a device known as a tunnel junction, which operates at room temperature and is widely used in commercial applications for memory and hard drives.
Scientists have found that the special properties of skyrmions allow switching between states, consuming 1,000 times less energy than commercial devices. In addition, it was found that more than two states can be reached in a single device, which eliminates the need to reduce the device size to improve performance.
In addition, skyrmions can be used to create new types of logic devices that will be more energy efficient and compact than existing transistors. Skyrmions can also be used to create neuromorphic computing systems that can mimic the work of the human brain.
Future research direction
The developed microelectronic device will help consolidate skyrmions as an integral component of future computing. Microelectronic devices are manufactured on 200 mm silicon wafers using materials and techniques that are already used in existing microelectronic manufacturing facilities in Singapore and around the world.
The team hopes that once the electrical characteristics are further improved, the advanced computing switch can be easily integrated into microprocessors using conventional approaches. The Group is looking for opportunities to collaborate with semiconductor manufacturers and system integrators to scale the technology and implement it more widely.
