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IBM Looks to Nature in Design of DNA-Like Microchips

by Terrence O'Brien on August 18, 2009 at 07:42 AM


Currently, microchips are made with silicon, but IBM is looking to the future and working on replacing the traditional computing material with DNA.

IBM doesn't plan on harvesting this DNA from people, of course. It has instead demonstrated a way to use artificial nano-structures that replicate the composition of DNA. IBM believes the repetitive design of DNA is a perfect match for fabricating semi-conductors; it would not only enable the production of smaller chips, but would also make them cheaper than current techniques.

Spike Narayan, research manager at IBM, told Reuters the new process could allow companies to do with less than a million dollars what now requires hundreds of millions by using DNA, polymers, and simple heating elements. Narayan did say that the chips are at least ten years out, however, so don't expect to see one of these biomimetic chips in a laptop anytime soon. [From: Reuters]

Tags: biomimetics, biomimicry, dna, IBM, microchip, top

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