Efficient and Robust Oxide Switching

The energy consumption of internet and communications technologies is rapidly increasing, with predictions suggesting they will account for nearly a third of global electricity usage within the next decade.

The project aims to continue working on the discovery of a device that processes data in a similar way as the synapses in the human brain. The devices are based on hafnium oxide, a material already used in the semiconductor industry, and tiny self-assembled barriers, which can be raised or lowered to allow electrons to pass. This not only greatly improves performance but also reduces the energy demands of internet and communications technologies. This method of changing the electrical resistance in computer memory devices, and allowing information processing and memory to exist in the same place, also allows for the development of computer memory devices with far greater density, higher performance and lower energy consumption.