In a world first, they used two-dimensional (2D) materials, which are only an atom thick and retain their properties at that scale, unlike silicon, to develop a computer capable of simple operations.

Machines are rapidly gaining the ability to perceive, interpret and interact with the visual world in ways that were once ...

“We also developed a computational model, calibrated using experimental data and incorporating variations between devices, to project the performance of our 2D CMOS computer and benchmark it ...

“This marks the first time a computer has been built entirely from 2D semiconductors,” said Dr. Saptarshi Das, a professor of engineering at Penn State and the project’s lead.

Subir Ghosh emphasized that this computer is slower than those running on silicon circuits, but it is capable of performing key logical operations, using only one type of instruction. According to him ...

The researchers also developed a computational model suggesting that, with further refinement, 2D-material computers could eventually compete with silicon.