A new way to reduce the energy consumption of computers has been developed

A team of scientists from the University of California decided to target the high and ever increasing energy consumption of computers. Solution? Revolutionizing tiny electrical switches that are the building blocks of every logical circuit in a computer.

New gates in transistors, i.e. reducing the power consumption of computers at your fingertips

Currently, processors are made of billions of transistors, which include, among others from electrical microswitches. These are what have been examined in this latest study, showing that you can significantly reduce their energy consumption without sacrificing speed, size or performance. This element plays a key role in the process of turning the transistor on and off, so it has a direct impact on energy consumption.

Scientists in their study developed special gates that significantly exceed those commonly used by semiconductor manufacturers. Their most important feature is the so-called negative capacitance which helps to reduce the voltage needed to hold the charge in the material.

Also read: Unihertz announces a smartphone with a physical QWERTY keyboard

New research shows that negative capacitance can be achieved in a crystal composed of a layered hafnium-zirconium oxide stack that is compatible with advanced silicon transistors. After a series of experiments, scientists tested in practice what they could achieve with their transistors and proved that, compared to traditional ones, they can reduce the voltage demand by about 30%, which translates into lower temperatures and energy consumption.