MIT Scientists Used Biological Virus To Speed Up Computers

In recent years, the transmission of data has been much improved. However, the information still has to move from hardware to hardware, which can be time-consuming for users. Scientists from the Singapore University of Technology and Design and MIT have devised a new method of production using a biological virus that can get rid of those delays.

According to a study published in the journal ACS Applied Nanomaterials, researchers will use a bio-virus that speeds up the transfer of data. Specifically, the virus, called M13, is capable of unlocking phase-change memory, a kind of digital storage which would accelerate the speed of all computers.

The problem that these viruses deal with is the traditional transferring method of memory in a computer. Transferring data from a fast but transient RAM to persistent storage on the hard drive may take a few milliseconds to complete.

This is where phase-change memory come into the scene, by swapping the two-component memory system for single-type storage. This type of memory can perform as rapidly as a RAM and offer larger storage capacity compared to a hard drive. With phase-change memory, the delay can be reduced to almost ten nanoseconds.

The current production process for phase change memory requires too high a temperature, which can destroy gallium antimonide - this is one of the necessary essential materials in the production of phase-change memory. According to research carried out by scientists, using a virus that pulls the gallium antimonide pieces together can form functional wires while maintaining a much lower temperature.

So don't worry. Some days in the future, if this research is proved to be a success and is applied to everyone's computer hardware system, all users will save over milliseconds of waiting. This helps you work more efficiently and perform better at multi-tasking.