Future processors "could run on heat"

 

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By Stewart Mitchell

Posted on 28 Sep 2010 at 11:40

Future computer processors could recycle their own heat and turn it into power, according to researchers.

The scientists at Ohio State University say that once developed the technique could lead to chip circuits that run on heat rather than electricity.

While exploring the properties of a semiconductor material called gallium manganese arsenide, the Ohio team have discovered that heat can be converted into a phenomenon known as “spin”, which affects the way electrons are lined up.

Researchers around the world are working to develop electronics systems that harness the spin of electrons to read and write data in a process called “spintronics”, which is exciting physicists because of the potential for storing and processing data far more efficiently.

The Ohio team's discovery – dubbed “thermo-spintronics” - would convert heat to electron spin to boost computing power.

“Spintronics is considered as a possible basis for new computers in part because the technology is claimed to produce no heat,” said team leader Joseph Heremans. “Our measurements shed light on the thermodynamics of spintronics, and may help address the validity of this claim.”

In one possible use of thermo-spintronics, a device could sit on top of a traditional microprocessor, and siphon waste heat away to run additional computation, although the scientists admit the technology is several years away from commercial production.