A molecular microcircuit functions similarly to a brain in that it can store and process data while also rebuilding its physical architecture.
A multinational team of scientists from the United States, Ireland, India, and Singapore developed a molecular microcircuit that functions like a brain, storing and processing data while also being capable of reconstructing its physical architecture. This was published in the journal Nature.
Scientists have developed a molecular device capable of rapidly reconfiguring connections within itself, mimicking brain behavior. However, unlike in the brain, this is accomplished by retraining logic rather than altering interconnections.
According to the scientists, their molecular structure might aid in the creation of a new generation of microcircuits with higher processing power and speed but lower power consumption in the future. It’s a memristor, which combines the resistance of a microcircuit with a memory element. Such devices have previously been developed, but they were exclusively based on compounds of rare-earth metals, which limited the temperature range of functioning of memristors.
The novel substance acts as an electrical sponge, absorbing up to six electrons transiently. As a consequence, there are seven distinct redox states. The connection between these states allows the device to be rapidly reconfigured for different computing activities.
Scientists think that such a molecular crystal may be integrated into mobile and peripheral devices, as well as traditional silicon processors, to “speed up complicated decision making” and the operation of considerably more powerful neural networks than now exist.
