{"id":46112,"date":"2023-03-27T12:04:29","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T12:04:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/?p=46112"},"modified":"2023-03-27T13:38:32","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T13:38:32","slug":"dutch-discovery-brings-energy-efficient-computers-a-step-closer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/2023\/03\/27\/dutch-discovery-brings-energy-efficient-computers-a-step-closer\/","title":{"rendered":"Dutch discovery brings energy-efficient computers a step closer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As the world struggles with the amount of energy used for computers, <\/span>datacentres<\/span> and other electronics, researchers are looking for alternatives to provide the power to fulfil those requirements. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>Christian Nijhuis<\/span><\/span><\/a>, professor of Hybrid Materials for <\/span>OptoElectronics<\/span> at the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Twente (UT), is one such expert.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>\u201cWind farms are now literally being built next to the large <\/span>datacentres<\/span> of Microsoft and Google,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>About half of all energy generated is used to transfer and process digital information. \u201cThe system squeaks and creaks,\u201d says Nijhuis \u2013 the reason for him, and his department, to look into more energy-efficient ways of transferring and processing data. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cNature has always fascinated me infinitely,\u201d he says. \u201cThe way our bodies process and store energy, for example, <\/span>and <\/span>how plants convert energy from sunlight into nutrients via photosynthesis.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>The human brain is a significant inspiration for Nijhuis\u2019s research. \u201cOur brain is an incredibly smart and energy-efficient supercomputer,\u201d he says. \u201cOf course, there are some things a digital system can do better than us, such as processing huge amounts of information quickly, but in simply recognising a cat in a picture, our brain can still do much better than a computer. Also, when you are in a jam-packed stadium, and someone calls your name, you will hear it, but your neighbour won\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Nijhuis says this is because our brains are neural networks. Although the technology sector has been working for years to develop artificial neural networks, it\u2019s proving extremely difficult to mimic our brains digitally. \u201cMoreover, computers are huge energy guzzlers, whereas our brains are very energy-efficient,\u201d he adds.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span>Molecules mimicking synapses<\/span> <\/h3>\n
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<\/span><\/span>Nijhuis and his team set out to find molecules that mimic our brains\u2019 synapses. \u201cAn important feature is that synapses can be on or off, and everything in between,\u201d he says. \u201cMoreover, the extent to which they turn on or off depends on how often and quickly they have already done so.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>The researchers looked for that learning ability in molecules. The actual discovery is a nice anecdote, says Nijhuis. \u201cBefore returning to Twente, I spent 10 years researching this field in Singapore. The student who made <\/span><\/span>the final discovery<\/span><\/span><\/a> did not dare tell me that his research was not going as expected because he was afraid of losing face.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The student researcher spent months putting a molecule under tension and seeing if it turned on or off like a light bulb, but this molecule behaved strangely and didn\u2019t do what the student expected. It didn\u2019t clearly switch on or off but seemed to differ in how much it switched on or off. \u201cWhen I heard that, I immediately knew: this is exactly what we are looking for! The molecule was learning from previous behaviour,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Having succeeded in mimicking one synapse, the next step is an entire network. To develop that, Nijhuis returned to Twente for further research. He received a <\/span><\/span>Vici grant<\/span><\/span><\/a> from the Dutch Research Council to support this research. A Vici grant is one of the Netherlands\u2019 most significant personal scientific <\/span>grants,<\/span> and is aimed at advanced researchers who have demonstrated their ability to develop their own innovative line of research successfully. The <\/span><\/span>Dutch Research Council<\/span><\/span><\/a> is one of the leading science funders in the Netherlands, and ensures quality and innovation in science. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>One of the reasons why it was attractive for Nijhuis <\/span>to return to the University of Twente is the presence of a nano lab, the largest cleanroom in Europe. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>Moreover, the university is also a very strong player in microtechnology. \u201cAnd we have recently set up a molecular <\/span>centre<\/span>,\u201d he says. \u201cThis combination of optical, nanotechnology and microelectronics makes it possible to create an optical-electronic neurocomputer in the future. Everything just comes together at the University of Twente.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span>More energy efficient<\/span> <\/h3>\n
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Follow-up research by Nijhuis and his team focuses on scaling up to millions of molecular switches in a complete artificial neural network to prove it can be done energy-efficiently.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOutside our bodies, we will probably never reach the energy efficiency of our brain, but if we manage to make devices 10 to 100 times more energy-efficient, it would have a major impact,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

He dreams of making computers that are much more energy-efficient in a decade or so. \u201cThat would solve the energy problems in the <\/span>data<\/span>centre<\/span> sector,\u201d says Nijhuis. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>Another big wish is to apply his invention to soft robots and healthcare. \u201cSince we work with molecular materials, it is attractive to incorporate that in soft robots or applications in the body,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Nijhuis is also associated with the <\/span><\/span>EBRAIN-NL<\/span><\/span><\/a> consortium, which aims to develop implants to stimulate the visual cortex.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Brain Institute in Amsterdam, for example, has already implanted a silicon disc in a patient that stimulates nerve cells and allows digital information to be seen by a blind person,\u201d he says. \u201cAs you can imagine, silicon is quite invasive to a body, so we prefer to use soft bio-compatible materials. For such applications, molecular materials are ideally suited.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span>Innovation at your doorstep<\/span> <\/h3>\n
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<\/span><\/span>When it\u2019s possible to process information 10 to 100 times more energy-efficiently, self-driving cars suddenly become more within reach, too, says Nijhuis. The computer and battery in an electric vehicle would provide 30% less range if such a car were self-driving.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCan you imagine what we can achieve when such a computer system consumes much less energy,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The number of possible applications is abundant, according to the professor. \u201cIt has added value for any situation where battery life is important,\u201d says Nijhuis.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>But there are also possible applications if sensors can process collected data locally to some extent, and data does not always have to be sent back and forth over a network.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur brain not only stores information but also processes it at the same time,\u201d he says. \u201cWhereas in computers, the processor and memory are still separate. Our invention will benefit any application in which data storage and processing plays a role.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

His ultimate dream is an application in intelligent soft robots that can actively respond to their environment and provide feedback. \u201cIf I can help make a device that can give someone a better quality of life, it would mean a lot,\u201d says Nijhuis.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the world struggles with the amount of energy used for computers, datacentres and other<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46112"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46112"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46115,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46112\/revisions\/46115"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}