A small discovery could make new graphics cards and processors much faster than ever before

Semiconductors are found in graphics cards and processors. Now researchers have tested a new material that could make GPUs much faster in the future. But until then, there is probably still a long way to go, as the researchers explain.

Semiconductors are small components and can be found in many electronic devices. In everyday life you encounter semiconductors in many places. Without these parts, you would not be able to use your computer, your smartphone, or any other everyday device. Without semiconductors you wouldn’t even be able to turn the ignition key in the car.

Semiconductors have also been responsible for the fact that you could hardly buy graphics cards and PS5 consoles.

A research team has now experimented with new materials. They found that these materials are much better than the silicon that is currently used in semiconductors. MeinMMO explains what’s behind it.

New material could significantly increase the performance of semiconductors

What is in semiconductors so far? So far, silicon has mainly been used in industry to produce semiconductors. But silicon has the disadvantage of not being able to conduct heat well. Devices with silicon semiconductors therefore always require an extensive cooling system to prevent the chips from overheating.

The industry is also trying to make the chips in their devices smaller and faster. But the developers are now reaching the natural limits of silicon.

What’s the new discovery? A team of researchers from MIT, University of Houston conducted experiments and found that cubic boron arsenide is theoretically much better suited as a material for semiconductors (via meche.with.edu)

Jungwoo Shin, the study’s lead author, called the new material a potential “game changer”:

• Cubic boron arsenide conducts heat 10 times better than conventional silicon.
• The study also shows that cubic boron arsenide is a better conductor than silicon of both electrons and its positively charged counterpart, the “electron hole” (or hole).

Both points are weaknesses of silicon. The weak conduction of heat and electrons, which limits the speed of semiconductors. This could mean a huge performance boost for electronic devices.

The use of the new material could last for years

When could that come? To date, cubic boron arsenide has only been produced and tested in small, inconsistent laboratory batches. So far, this has been very time-consuming and cost-intensive.

It is therefore not yet entirely clear whether cubic boron arsenide can also be produced economically. But that would also be a prerequisite for it to be able to replace silicon in semiconductors in the long term.

However, Gang Chen, a professor in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering who is also part of the team, explained that it also took the scientists years to get silicon to the required level of purity that chipmakers need for their semiconductors. He himself describes the material as a “promising candidate for next-generation electronics.” (via fortune.com (Paywall).

Tips for new hardware: Are you considering upgrading your PC in the course of the year and buying a graphics card, for example? Then you should definitely find out more about AMD’s RX 7000 and Nvidia’s RTX 4000 series. Because there are already a lot of rumors here:

You should definitely know this about the next generation of graphics cards before you buy a new one now