The global shortage of semiconductors began in the first half of 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. This situation is about to get even worse following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
To tackle the global shortage of chips, scientists have found a solution in honey
A team of researchers at Washington State University thinks that honey could be the future of computer chips. Honey could be used to produce ‘honey memristor,’ a key component of neuromorphic computer chips. Neuromorphic computing refers to artificial computing that attempts to mimic how the human brain works.
The scientists claim that it could pave the way for sustainable and biodegradable brain-like computer chips and help cut down on electronic waste in the process.
The process is deceptively simple!
Scientists processed honey into a solid form and compressed it between two metal electrodes. They could successfully produce a structured design dubbed ‘memristor, a portmanteau of ‘memory’ and ‘resistor.’
Honey memristors were able to mimic human neurons capable of processing and storing data, the way a human brain does.
Memristors are extremely tiny devices, times tinier than the width of a human hair
The ideal size of a memristor would be 1/1000 of a human hair and thousands of such devices would be required to build neuromorphic computing systems.
Scientists think because of these special properties, computer chips made of honey could be very useful. When the computer chips made of honey need to be disposed of, we can simply dissolve them in water.
