The University of Exeter has demonstrated a new technology that the university says could revolutionise computing by making computers faster and more energy-efficient, as well as making them more closely resemble biological systems, such as brain.
The study involved the first ever demonstration of simultaneous information processing and storage using phase-change materials, the university said.
The research from the University of Exeter used phase-change materials, a kind of semi-conductor to perform simultaneously computation and memory functions.
The new materials can store and process information simultaneously, and shows experimentally for the first time that they can perform general-purpose computing operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
The phase-change materials can be used to make artificial neurons and synapses, meaning an artificial system made entirely from phase-change devices could potentially learn and process information in a similar way to human brains.
Lead author Professor David Wright of the University of Exeter said their findings have major implications for the development of entirely new forms of computing, including ‘brain-like’ computers.
"We have uncovered a technique for potentially developing new forms of ‘brain-like’ computer systems that could learn, adapt and change over time," Wright said.
This study focused on the performance of a single phase-change cell, the university said.
In the next stage, Exeter’s research will build systems of interconnected cells that can learn to perform simple tasks, such as identification of certain objects and patterns.
