Engineers at North Carolina State University have created a computer chip that holds one terabyte -- or 1,000 gigabytes -- of data and is no larger than a fingernail. For perspective, that means you could store 20 high-definition DVDs or 250 million pages of text on this tiny chip. According to Computer World, this modern marvel is made possible by a process called selective doping, in which engineers add an impurity to a material in order to change its properties. In this case, it results in a drastic reduction in size.
Not only does this breakthrough affect data storage, but it has implications for 'green' technology, too. For example, engineers could use selective doping to build ceramic engines that could withstand higher temperatures. That possible outcome, lead engineer Jagdish "Jay" Narayan says, could lead to better fuel efficiency. Doping could also better solar energy by improving the thermal conductivity of the materials used.
While the potential here for energy conservation is great, we still can't get over the fact that this chip has more than 50-times the storage capacity of other silicon-based chips.
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