Welcome to our weekly briefing on R&D headlines for January 27, 2025. In this edition, we cover the disruption from China’s DeepSeek reasoning AI model R1, which punches above its weight class. Ostensibly trained on a shoestring budget, it outperforms OpenAI’s o1 by some measures, according to DeepSeek’s technical report. The company also has publicly…
This week in semiconductors: Google’s quantum chip achieves computation milestone
Semiconductor-based quantum processors are driving rapid advancements in computational power, with companies like Google and IBM leading the charge. Recent reports highlight increasing interest in quantum computing as a transformative force in finance, energy, and other sectors. Several key developments underscore the importance of cutting-edge semiconductor fabrication and design in enabling these next-generation devices: 1.…
UC Irvine researchers uncover mechanisms enhancing superconductivity in iron-based material
Scientists at the University of California, Irvine, have discovered atomic-scale processes that enhance superconductivity in iron selenide (FeSe), an iron-based material. The findings, published in Nature, could inform future advancements in quantum computing, electronics, and other technologies. UC Irvine’s Materials Research Institute (IMRI) researchers imaged atomic vibrations using advanced spectroscopy instruments. They identified new phonons…
24 R&D trends that redefined 2024
In many respects, 2024 was a year of building upon the foundations laid by previous technological and scientific advances. While AI continued to evolve at a rapid clip, progress was in many ways more incremental than last year when GPT-4 redefined expectations for genAI. But AI continues to make definable improvements across a range of…
MIT physicists directly observe frictionless ‘edge state’ flow in ultracold atoms, offering a glimpse of super-efficient electronics
Physicists at MIT have directly imaged the frictionless flow of atoms along the edges of a material, confirming long-held theories about electron behavior in the quantum Hall effect. By recreating the effect’s conditions with ultracold atoms, the team observed these particles effortlessly navigating around obstacles, defying everyday experience with friction. In the everyday world, friction is…
New bolometer could enhance quantum circuit analysis by detecting Josephson radiation up to 100 GHz
Josephson junctions are fundamental components in many superconducting quantum devices, including the qubits that form the heart of quantum computers. As the field of quantum computing rapidly advances, understanding and improving the performance of these crucial components becomes a priority. A central challenge lies in detecting and characterizing Josephson radiation, a high-frequency alternating current generated…
Scientists use neural network to engineer atomic-scale quantum emitter in 2D material
Scientists have engineered a promising new quantum defect using computational modeling. Published in Nature Communications, the research highlights how cobalt, a common metal, could be key to building future quantum computers. The team began by simulating more than 700 potential defects in tungsten disulfide (WS2), a material with desirable electronic properties. To sift through this…
Imec sets record for lowest charge noise in silicon quantum dots on 300 mm CMOS platform
Imec, a research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, has announced significant progress in the development of 300 mm silicon-based quantum dot spin qubit processing. The devices demonstrated an average charge noise of 0.6 µeV/√Hz at 1 Hz, the lowest values achieved on a 300 mm fab-compatible platform to date. These results are…
EDF, Alice & Bob, Quandela, and CNRS team up to enhance quantum computing efficiency
French electric utility outfit EDF is partnering with quantum computing firms Quandela and the quizzically-named Alice & Bob, alongside the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), to enhance energy consumption in quantum computing. With the support of grant money from the public investment bank Bpifrance, the €6.1M initiative will also compare the energy requirements…
Infineon Technologies to build an R&D center in Taiwan; Car makers are halting EV targets as sales wane in this week’s R&D Power Index
The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending June 28, 2024, closed at 3,821.08 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 0.94% (or 35.45 basis points). Thirteen RDWI members gained value last week from 0.28% (IBM) to 5.91% (Ford Motor Co.). Twelve RDWI members lost value the previous week from…
Can graphene serve as a single material for both memory and logic?
A new study published in Nature explores the electrochemical potential of graphene, a single-atom-thick sheet of carbon to function as both memory and logic components. By sandwiching graphene between electrolytes and applying specific voltages, researchers, including Marcelo Lozada-Hidalgo and J. Tong of the University of Manchester, created independent pathways for both protons and electrons to…
Phononic breakthrough paves the way for compact, high-efficiency chips and enhanced quantum computing capabilities
One of the technological hurdles limiting the future of wireless technology is the reliance on bulky, power-hungry radio frequency processors. These processors require an unwieldy blend of piezoelectric- and transistor-based components, which add bulk and sap valuable energy. But a promising study published in Nature Materials offers a potential solution in phononics, a field of study that harnesses…