Computers that could learn and process information more efficiently in terms of energy consumption, inspired by the way the human brain works. The news comes from a study published in the journal Nature Electronics that included the University of Pisa, Shanghai University, the University of Messina, and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), which was coordinated by Professor Andras Kis. "The human brain is capable of processing vast quantities of information with a fraction of the energy required by artificial intelligence systems", explains Giuseppe Iannaccone, the author of the study and a professor at the Department of Information Engineering at the University of Pisa. "One reason is because memory and processing functions are strongly intertwined in the brain's neural networks. In computers, however, data must be constantly transported between memory and processor, resulting in significant energy consumption". To come closer to the human model, researchers created new electronic memory made of ultra-thin two-dimensional materials that allow information to be stored while computational operations are conducted in the same area on the chip. The outcome was made possible by a novel architecture that blends two materials, molybdenum disulfide and niobium disulfide. The combination reduces one of the primary limits of two-dimensional devices, contact resistance, considerably enhancing performance. "Another advantage is that this new technology is compatible with the silicon chips currently produced by the electronics industry", Iannaccone says. "The present challenge is to enhance the power of artificial intelligence while simultaneously ensuring that it is more energy-efficient and usable on small sensors and autonomous devices".