Quantum computers, systems that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, will require faster and energy-efficient memory components, which will allow them to perform well on complex tasks. Superconducting memories are promising memory devices that are made from superconductors, materials that conduct electricity with a resistance of zero when cooled below a critical temperature.

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MIT researchers developed a scalable superconducting nanowire memory array with a significantly lower error rate than previous designs. The 4×4 array uses nanowire loops with temperature-dependent switches and kinetic inductors to store data via magnetic flux. Operating at 1.3K, it achieves a bit error rate of 10⁻⁵ (1 error per 100,000 operations) and a functional density of 2.6 Mbit/cm². This advancement addresses key challenges in superconducting memory: scalability and error rates, bringing these energy-efficient components closer to practical deployment in quantum and low-energy computing systems.

Superconducting nanowire memory array achieves significantly lower error rate

The team's nanowire-based superconducting memory

Bringing superconducting memories closer to their practical use