Noisy Logic

As computer chips shrink ever smaller, the background flicker of electronic noise threatens to undermine the vital precision of digital processing. Unlike ordinary circuits, a newly designed digital circuit element only works properly when the noise level is sufficiently high. The circuit, described in the 13 March Physical Review Letters, is not only well-suited for noisy nanoscale operations, but it can also be changed on the fly to perform different logic functions–a property that could lead to reconfigurable computer processors.