Nanotechnology Now |
Home > Press > Energy saving devices
Abstract:
Thanks to the Steeper project conducted by EPFL, electronic devices should in future consume 10 times less energy when functioning, and almost nothing when in standby mode.
Energy saving devices
EU | Posted on October 31st, 2010From mobile telephones to supercomputers, and including laptops and television sets, the number of electronic devices is growing alarmingly together and, in parallel, their energy consumption. To respond to this trend, a large-scale initiative involving several major research institutions from the academic world and industry, and led by EPFL, has been launched. Nicknamed STEEPER, this project aims to cut down by a factor of 10 the energy consumption of these devices when they are functioning, and to virtually eliminate any energy consumption when they are in passive or standby mode.
With support from the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission (FP7), scientists will be able to explore innovative modules on the nanometer scale for electronic chips, to bring down their operating voltage to less than 0.5 volts; this means lowering their electricity consumption by approximately 10-fold.
By reducing power consumption, STEEPER is taking a first step towards the "zero-watt" PC - "the Holy Grail of electronics", as Adrian M. Ionescu, Professor at the EPFL Nanolab and project coordinator, calls it. The long-term objective of this scientist is a form of electronics that is virtually autonomous, taking its energy from external phenomena such as solar, thermal or electromagnetic sources. This ambitious project, called NanoPCo, is scheduled for submission to Brussels, as a candidate for the research program FET Flagship.
Energy waste, the biggest challenge
"Energy waste is about to become the biggest challenge in electronics today, and in particular in the computer industry." This is the conclusion of Dr Heike Riel, researcher in charge of the nanoelectronic group at IBM Research in Zurich, and also involved in the project.
The development of innovative devices, such as steep slope transistors (hence the project name) can enable a much shorter transition between the "off" and "on" modes than is possible with the current 60mV/decade limit of metal-oxide-semiconductor, field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) at room temperature.
####
For more information, please click here
Copyright © EPFL
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Bookmark:
| Related News Press |
News and information
Conference Scheduled June 5-7 on Safe Use of Nanotechnology in Environmental Remediation May 23rd, 2013
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013
Possible Futures
UC Santa Barbara History Professor's Book Elucidates, Celebrates ‘Visioneers' May 14th, 2013
Conceptual Nanomedical Lipofuscin Removal Strategy April 29th, 2013
The Global Desalination Market 2013-2023 April 24th, 2013
Chip Technology
Researchers Stitch Defects into the World’s Thinnest Semiconductor May 22nd, 2013
Penn engineers' nanoantennas improve infrared sensing May 20th, 2013
Nanoelectronics
Piezoelectric 'taxel' arrays convert motion to electronic signals for tactile imaging April 25th, 2013
Battery and Memory Device in One April 25th, 2013
Announcements
Conference Scheduled June 5-7 on Safe Use of Nanotechnology in Environmental Remediation May 23rd, 2013
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013
Energy
IDTechEx launches online Market Intelligence Portal May 23rd, 2013
Innovation could bring flexible solar cells, transistors, displays May 22nd, 2013
Researchers Stitch Defects into the World’s Thinnest Semiconductor May 22nd, 2013
Alliances/Partnerships/Distributorships
NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013
HELIOS Program Develops Complete Supply Chain for Integrating Photonics with CMOS Circuit via IC Fabrication Processes May 14th, 2013
Research partnerships
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013
Weird science: Crystals melt when they're cooled May 22nd, 2013
Researchers Stitch Defects into the World’s Thinnest Semiconductor May 22nd, 2013
 |
||
 |
||
| The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
 |
||
|
|
||
| Premium Products | ||
 |
||
|
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
University Technology Transfer & Patents
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
|
|
||
abbigliamento uomo
Computer Accessories
| © Copyright 1999-2013 7th Wave, Inc. All Rights Reserved | PRIVACY POLICY :: CONTACT US :: STATS :: SITE MAP :: ADVERTISE |