Antiferromagnetic light switch could turbocharge processors with little heat
A new non-volatile switching element built from ultrathin tantalum and Mn3Sn on silica can switch a bit in about 40 picoseconds with minimal additional heat, offering a path to processors that could run far faster (potentially up to 1,000×) without the usual heat penalty and dramatically reducing data‑center energy use. Demonstrated in Science with stable operation over billions of cycles, the approach faces manufacturing, material supply, and scalability challenges, but a prototype chip could be ready by 2030.