Ion-Driven Computing

Computing uses a growing share of the world’s electricity, and artificial intelligence is speeding up this trend. Much of that energy goes into moving data back and forth between memory and processor. ATLAB develops devices that store and process information in the same place, by moving ions, with ultra-low energy.

Our brain computes with ions. Its synapses, the junctions between nerve cells, get stronger or weaker with use, which lets them both store and process information. Our devices behave in a similar way: a small voltage moves ions inside a thin oxide layer and changes its electrical resistance. The new state remains after the voltage is removed, so the device “remembers”, like a synapse. This field is called ionotronics, and brain-inspired computing is called neuromorphic computing.

Our first target is edge computing, which means processing data directly on sensors and small devices instead of in a data centre. These devices often run on tiny batteries, so every microwatt counts. We combine our nanoionics expertise with microfabrication on silicon chips to build the first ion-based components and small computing networks.