• Data centers use 4.4% of US energy, with 57% consumed by CPUs and GPUs. • Rising energy demands make energy‑efficient computing essential for future high‑performance systems. • Superconducting electronics promise lower power and higher speed for classical and quantum processors. • Key challenge: reducing wiring between room‑temperature electronics and cold superconducting circuits. • MIT researchers built superconducting diodes that convert AC to DC on‑chip at cryogenic temperatures. • These diodes enable scalable ERSFQ circuits, overcoming a long‑standing AC‑to‑DC bottleneck.

Article Summaries:

  • MIT researchers led by Jagadeesh Moodera have demonstrated a scalable superconducting diode‑bridge that converts AC to DC on a cryogenic chip, a key step toward energy‑efficient quantum and classical processors. In a 2023 experiment, the team fabricated thin‑film superconducting diodes (SDs) that exhibit non‑reciprocal current flow and integrated four of them into a diode bridge. The resulting rectifier works at near‑zero kelvin, reducing the need for long wiring between room‑temperature electronics and cold circuits, thereby cutting thermal and electromagnetic noise. This development addresses a major bottleneck in rapid single‑flux‑quantum (ERSFQ) circuits and could enable larger, more stable quantum systems.

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