Thermodynamic computing harnesses thermal noise as computational resource

Researchers are developing computers that exploit thermal fluctuations instead of fighting them, a field known as thermodynamic computing. Since the first conference on the topic in 2019, a small community has simulated thermodynamic computation in standard silicon-based logic circuits, showing the basic concepts work in principle, according to Quanta Magazine. The approach could produce computers that consume little power and dissipate little heat, a significant advantage given the power-hungry operation of today's devices and the increasing struggle to prevent ultra-dense miniaturized circuits from melting down. Thermodynamic computing makes use of thermodynamic processes that distribute and dissipate energy and inevitably increase randomness at the microscopic scale. "The field is about designing computers that exploit thermodynamics as a computational resource," said Patrick Coles, a physicist at the startup Normal Computing in New York. If successful, the method could transform the computing industry and the very foundation of how computation is performed.