Molecular computer uses 10,000 times less energy than a normal one

A chip-sized biocomputer uses molecules moving through a network of channels to solve problems. It uses much less energy per calculation than a traditional computer

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

A chip-sized biocomputer is based on molecules moving through a network of nanoscale channels

Till Korten/Dresden University of Technology

A computer that uses molecules to solve problems uses 10,000 times less energy than a conventional computer. If made larger, these biocomputers could efficiently solve complex logistics problems that normally require a lot of time and energy.

For most of computing history, as chips have decreased in size they have also required less energy to run. But this relationship broke around 15 years ago, meaning that computers that perform large computations aren’t as energy-efficient as we …