Scientists find a way to slash computer memory energy use by orders of magnitude

Scientists have devised a new way to switch magnetic computer memory while using far less energy than today’s leading technologies. By mathematically optimizing the pulses used to flip digital bits, the method could reduce energy consumption by several orders of magnitude. Simulations suggest it may bring future memory devices surprisingly close to the fundamental physical limit for processing information.

The same idea could eventually work with electrical currents or ultrafast lasers. Scientists find a way to slash computer memory energy use by orders of magnitude. Scientists find a way to slash computer memory energy use by orders of magnitude Science News from research organizations Scientists find a way to slash computer memory energy use by orders of magnitude A new mathematical framework could slash the energy needed to store and manipulate digital information.

Elton Santos, University of Edinburgh Artificial intelligence (AI) and other information and communication technologies (ICTs) are producing and processing data at a scale never seen before. Internet searches, AI-generated images, recommendation systems, scientific simulations, and large language models all depend on enormous amounts of information being created, moved, stored, and analyzed. As AI becomes more deeply integrated into everyday life, industry, and science, the global need for computing power and data storage continues to climb.

AI’s Growing Energy Demand That expansion also brings a major challenge: electricity use.