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Magnetic Computing Takes a Step Forward

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the stuck-together dept.

MaceyHW writes "PhysOrg.com reports a big step forward in the development of magnetic microchips. Since their initial creation of a magnetic logic gate in 2002, an international team of researchers from Durham University, Imperial College, London and the University of Sheffield 'team has created a number of further "logic gates" and created interconnecting structures using magnetic "nanowires," which can now reproduce the logic functions of a conventional computer.'"

16 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. But who needs magnets... by ettlz · · Score: 3, Funny

    ..when we've already got a laptop powered by a 6,8 GHz quantum optical processor with 1 TB of NvlOpRAM?

  2. Hmm,... by xgadflyx · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does this mean we'll eventually have computers we can stick to the fridge?

    --
    Civilization, the death of dreams.
  3. 'Clock' speeds by Linker3000 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I didn't see anything in the article about clocking speeds (if, indeed this type of technology is clocked - I guess so?) - any ideas?

    I'll have to find that old bubble core magnetic memory I stuck up in the attic some years ago - it might come in useful!

    --
    AT&ROFLMAO
  4. In other news by ReformedExCon · · Score: 3, Funny

    Scientist at the Cave of Ogg have discovered that wood may be able to be used a source of fire. Following hot on the heels of their previous breakthroughs with the ignition of fire, Ogg and Gor have discovered that fire is held in a solid state in certain types of wood. By transferring an existing fire to a piece of wood is said to "unlock" the fire within the wood and set it ablaze. Ogg's spokesman said that study will continue to find the exact amount of fire held within the various types of wood available near the Cave.

    Seriously? Magnets?

    --
    Jesus saved me from my past. He can save you as well.
  5. Why better? by ottffssent · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The article sort of mumbled through why I should care. Does anyone know? Do these logic gates offer the promise of smaller, faster, cheaper, or lower-power CPUs? Some combination of the above? Do they allow the creation of computers of a type not practical before? Where's the beef?

    --
    High-speed Road Trip (18.000KPH)
    1. Re:Why better? by megla · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Doesn't the prospect of a more efficent computer count then?
      If this scales to a useful level, you'd need much less power to run such a processor as it wouldn't all be being burnt off as heat - so your mobile phone could last much longer on a single charge, etc etc.
      Sounds like reason enough to at least give the technology a chance to me...

    2. Re:Why better? by RicktheBrick · · Score: 4, Informative

      IBM has been working on mram for some time now. It is magnetic ram. It is non-volatile memory. It does not lose its state even when power is removed. It could replace all existing memory(rom, flash, hard drive, ram).

    3. Re:Why better? by ramblin+billy · · Score: 4, Informative


      How about 100 GB of storage capacity for the cost of a memory card ? Magnetic microchips used in cell phones could make them fully functional video cameras. In addition, the chips are non-volatile, so startup lag will become a not-so-fond memory. They use much less power than electronic chips. They can be made much smaller, possibly as small as a few atoms. The examples they have already fabricated "use no silicon and require no multilayer processing and so can be manufactured at very low cost on flexible substrates, while offering non-volatility, radiation hardness and several hundreds of MHz of bandwidth" . They're talking about plastic chips. Pretty impressive.

      The technology, which is still being developed, can be classified as "nanotech" and is called "magnetic domain-wall logic" and is based on spintronics. Lots of folks are working on this because many believe that spintronics will allow for great advances in areas from quantum computing to DNA based molecular electronic devices. This particular development is important because it represents the first actual construction of logic gates, which are the basis of computing. So far the group has produced a "NOT gate" and a "11-stage serial shift register / digital frequency divider" in a 200nm design rule. They have also demonstrated the transfer of magnetic information without the use of magnetic fields. This paves the way for hybrid chips with both electronic and spintronic components. Such "3D chips" could contain many times the amount of information possible with current electronic chips. They will run cooler, with short "nanowire" pathways, and have the potential to surpass the performance of silicon chips. Moore's Law marches on.

      billy - wonder if the "$100 laptop" guys have their phone number?

  6. I can always dream... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    It would be nice if we had magnetic disks. North or South corresponds to 0 or 1.

  7. Disposable features? by torchdragon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "This would also imply that the computers being economical would become still more disposable. 'This means that they could be used for cheap and therefore disposable simple computers in the future.'"

    Why is this a feature? We've already shown ourselves how wonderful "displosable" technology really is. Why do we think we need more useless broken garbage? How reclaimable is it? Can we just throw a bunch of these into a pot, separate the various metals and cook up new ones when the technology improves? Disposable != Economical. You have to have an economy before you can throw it in the garbage.

    --
    "Don't feel bad for me child; I'm the monster that hides under your bed."
  8. Yeah, and here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... is the picture !

  9. Goodbye Transistors.... by cheezemonkhai · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hello Core Memory...

    Seriously core memory was magnetic and was first thing I thought of when I read the headline.

  10. I'm guessing... by wootest · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm guessing one of those computers won't have floppy drives.

  11. Well now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I have, erm, sources connected to this story.

    Basically, don't expect miracles. The signals can travel incredibly fast through these devices (can't remember exact figures) but there are problems. The signals are driven by an external magnetic field. Single magnetic pulse can drive high speed data transmission, but not normally operation of the circuit. Continuous operation would likely be in the 10s of kHZ to 1s of MHz range.

    The main uses are in low power, low demand devices. Or in systems which need to be resistant to EM radiation (certain military interest there).

    Similarities to core memory? Basically that's MRAM. And chips of MRAM up to about several hundred kb can now be mass produced.

    But as for "they have made a computer" - we're not talking Pentiums. We're talking about having demonstrated the functions which compose such chips - NOT, AND, OR and signal combination and splitting. Nothing more.

  12. More info is available on the earlier research by N+Monkey · · Score: 4, Informative
    The article sort of mumbled

    Yes, it was rather vague. A quick search with google turned up a more detailed report on their earlier work:( I used "bug me not" to login to read it :-) )

    Just to give the flavour of this report, it states...

    "Physicists at the University of Durham (Durham, UK) have fabricated a magnetic NOT gate that can operate at room temperature. It is the first wholly magnetic logic device to be formed on a microchip, and offers a key to what could become a completely new micro- and nano-magnetic chip technology.

    The Durham NOT gate consists of a track of a naturally ferromagnetic alloy shaped like an inverted "Y." The magnetism of this ferromagnetic alloy tends to run parallel to its track length and points in one of two opposite directions. A single ferromagnetic track can contain different regions, each magnetized in one of these two directions. Where these opposite magnetizations meet, a transition region or "domain wall" is formed in which the..."

  13. Not too practical by Eukariote · · Score: 3, Informative

    The method referenced is called "magnetic domain-wall logic". It works by propagating domain walls in small ferromagnetic wires. They have demonstrated various logic elements. Unfortunately, the domain-wall propagation is powered by immersing the circuit into a rotating or alternating magnetic field. This requires bulky external coils, rotating the IC itself inside a permanent magnet, or rotating a permanent magnet around the IC.

    In the demonstrations, field frequency is measured in the tens of Hertz. I could not find a reference to the propagation velocity, but one wire width per cycle would be a reasonable guess. In short, horribly slow.