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Making Computers Eco-Friendly

Oct. 11, 2016

New material could spawn a new generation of energy efficient computing devices.

Greener is better, especially when it comes to electronics, which experts say are commanding a mind-boggling percentage of our energy consumption. To get the problem under control, researchers from Cornell University and University of Michigan puts their heads together and engineered a new material that packs in more computing power while consuming a fraction of the energy currently seen.

Without going too deep into the technical details, the new material sandwiches together individual layers of atoms to produce a thin film, complete with magnetic polarity, allowing it to be flipped between positive and negative with small pulses of electricity rather than the steady stream of current traditionally needed. Also, because the innovation is a room-temperature multiferroics material, it requires much less power to read and write data.

Such funcationalties could make electronics equipment 100x greener over time, according to researchers.

Count me in for a new device based on the new material, especially if it's a Mac.

About the Author

Beth Stackpole, contributing writer | Contributing Editor, Automation World

Beth Stackpole is a veteran journalist covering the intersection of business and technology, from the early days of personal computing to the modern era of digital transformation. As a contributing editor to Automation World, Beth's coverage traverses a range of industries and technologies, including AI/machine learning, analytics, automation hardware and software, cloud, security, edge computing, and supply chain. In addition to her high-tech and business journalism work, Beth writes an array of custom editorial content and thought leadership pieces.