Gunner Vitaliy Bothman/Gunner Vitaliy Bothman/TPS
(Oct. 13, 2026 / TPS-IL)
Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have demonstrated an experimental computer memory approach that brings energy dissipation close to a fundamental limit set by the laws of physics, potentially opening the way to more energy-efficient computing in systems that operate at extremely low temperatures.
The approach uses a superconducting vortex — a tiny magnetic structure that forms inside certain materials when they are cooled to extremely low temperatures. By trapping the vortex in one of two stable positions, the researchers encoded information as a zero or a one, the basic units of digital computing.
The findings could eventually help reduce the energy required for individual memory operations in quantum computers and other systems that operate at extremely low temperatures. However, further research is needed to determine whether the approach can be scaled up and deliver practical energy savings.
Published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications, the study investigated how much energy is dissipated as a single superconducting vortex moves. In one experimental configuration, the work required per cycle was as low as four times Landauer’s limit, the theoretical minimum energy associated with erasing one bit of information.
The researchers also used numerical simulations to assess how the energy required for manipulating information could approach this fundamental limit. However, the experimental method involved moving the vortex under a continuously oscillating force, rather than carrying out the idealized process of erasing information. The measurements therefore do not constitute a direct demonstration of information erasure at four times Landauer’s limit.
“Our work measures the energy required to operate a superconducting vortex-based memory bit,” said Yonathan Anahory of the Hebrew University, who led the study with Nofar Fridman. “We found that it can run at approximately five times Landauer’s limit, bringing it remarkably close to the minimum permitted by physics.”
Testing the Limits
Measuring the energy involved presented a major experimental challenge. Rather than attempting to detect the tiny amount of heat released as the vortex moved, the team tracked its magnetic response using an ultrasensitive instrument called a SQUID-on-tip microscope.
“A vortex is an exceptionally small and delicate object, so measuring the energy dissipated by its motion is a major experimental challenge,” Fridman said. “By following its magnetic response, we were able to compare its energy cost with the fundamental limits of information processing.”
The researchers said the study provides a quantitative measurement of energy dissipation in an individual superconducting vortex, offering a way to assess the energy costs of using such structures as memory elements.
The experimental setup operated at around 4.2 kelvin, or approximately minus 269 degrees Celsius, making the approach unsuitable for ordinary computers. Its potential applications are more likely to lie in cryogenic computing, including quantum computing systems that operate at similarly low temperatures.
The findings suggest a possible way to store information in these systems while reducing the energy required for individual memory operations. However, the study does not demonstrate a practical memory chip or establish that a complete computer would consume less electricity. Further research will be needed to determine whether the approach can be integrated into computing systems at scale and whether any energy savings would outweigh the costs of cooling and operating the system.