Computer memory can now store data by moving a single atom in just 20 trillionths of a second.
April 29, 2026
Original Paper
Nonvolatile single-ion memory with picosecond switching
arXiv · 2604.21940
The Takeaway
Current flash drives and RAM are approaching physical limits for speed and power consumption. This new device uses a single ion passing through a thin layer of boron nitride to switch between zero and one. It uses an incredibly tiny amount of energy, roughly 310 attojoules per bit, which is thousands of times more efficient than modern tech. The speed is so high it rivals the fastest processors available today. This technology could finally bridge the gap between fast temporary memory and permanent storage, leading to computers that never need to boot up.
From the abstract
The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and edge computing applications has posed severe challenges to conventional memory technologies in terms of density, speed, and energy consumption. Herein, a single-ion transport mechanism is proposed to achieve picosecond (ps) switching capability. For monolayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) with single-atom vacancy defects, first-principles calculations reveal that single-ion penetration across the BN plane domin