Chemical computer can be programmed to solve hard problems

A chemical computer can now be programmed to solve concrete problems. The way it performs calculations is closer to a brain than a traditional computer so may help researchers to better understand how brains work



Technology



9 May 2022

This computer uses chemical reactions rather than electronics to perform computations

Cronin et al.

Programmable computers that use chemical reactions to process information could be faster at finding solutions to optimisation problems than conventional computers, and they may more closely mimic the brain than electronics.

Traditional computers are made up of small components, such as resistors and transistors, that manipulate electronic signals in such a way as to be able to store and process information. In 2019, Lee Cronin and colleagues at the University of Glasgow built a chemical version of a computer using …

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