Researchers have built computer chips that can run 'backward' to solve math problems that are normally impossible for modern hardware.
March 31, 2026
Original Paper
Efficient CMOS Invertible Logic Using Stochastic Computing
arXiv · 2603.27030
AI-generated illustration
The Takeaway
Most computer chips can only process information in one direction, but these new 'invertible' gates allow electricity to flow in reverse. This means a chip designed to multiply numbers can be used to instantly factorize them—a task so difficult it forms the basis of nearly all modern encryption.
From the abstract
Invertible logic can operate in one of two modes: 1) a forward mode, in which inputs are presented and a single, correct output is produced, and 2) a reverse mode, in which the output is fixed and the inputs take on values consistent with the output. It is possible to create invertible logic using various Boltzmann machine configurations. Such systems have been shown to solve certain challenging problems quickly, such as factorization and combinatorial optimization. In this paper, we show that i