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Memcomputer chips could solve tasks that defeat conventional computers

An alternative form of computer chip called a memcomputer could offer benefits over existing machines, and now a proof-of-principle digital memcomputer shows how these devices could be scaled up

By Matthew Sparkes

22 May 2023

Traditional computer chip designs are reaching their limit

Yuichiro Chino/Moment RF/Getty Images

The first practical example of a new kind of computer can complete calculations in minutes that would take a standard version longer than the age of the universe. This so-called digital memcomputer, which combines data storage and processing into a single component, could be a solution to the slowing pace of progress in traditional computer chips.

Theoretically, ordinary computers can solve any computational problem by carrying out single logical operations in a processor, storing the result in memory, and moving on to the …

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