Engineers from MIT say that stacking circuit components on top of each other could be the answer to creating more energy-efficient artificial intelligence (AI) chips. The logic and memory components, which respectively perform computations and store data, can transfer data more easily when in direct contact as opposed to when apart.
The team created a so-called "memory transistor" comprising both a logic element that can perform computations (the transistor) and a memory element. This nanoscale device has relatively few electrical defects, meaning it can operate more quickly while using less electricity, the scientists said in two studies presented Dec. 9 and Dec. 10 at the International Electron Devices Meeting in San Francisco.
