Tabor Philip, Ignuta-Ciuncanu Matei C, Martinez-Botas Ricardo F
Sustainable Energy Technology and Turbomachinery Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
Sustainable Energy Technology and Turbomachinery Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
Biosystems. 2025 Aug;254:105491. doi: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2025.105491. Epub 2025 Jun 4.
In the evolving landscape of unconventional computing, this review explores the nascent field of thermal computing. Thermal computers, which use heat as a computational element, present a significant shift from traditional computing paradigms. This review focuses on memory devices and logic gates that function via heat transfer mechanisms, exploring thermal computing's potential to harness heat for computational purposes and expand the horizons of computing beyond conventional electronic paradigms. The motivation for this work stems from the need to expand the horizons of computing beyond conventional electronic systems-which have overshadowed all other forms of computing since the 20th century-leveraging the 72% of global primary energy lost in conversion processes. By harnessing the world's ample amounts of waste thermal energy, one can envisage computational advancements in diverse areas such as self-powered systems, extreme environmental applications, and server farms, wherein thermal computing devices could synergistically interact with electronic systems. To address the gap in comprehensive studies on thermal computing's engineering applicability and real-world integration, this review includes a detailed analysis of thermal memory devices and logic gates, evaluating their data retention, distinct states, and read/write speeds, alongside their scalability and potential real-world applications. A comprehensive technology readiness assessment for these devices underscores their potential and the challenges ahead in transitioning from theoretical constructs to practical tools. The outcomes of this assessment found that the Radiative Thermal Transistor score outperformed all other memory devices by 9.4% and the NanoThermoMechanical logic gates score outperformed other logic devices by 27%. To conclude, this review highlights the need for further advancement in thermal computing, underlining its potential to revolutionize computational models and expand the frontiers of information science. By integrating hysteresis and bistability with effective thresholding, thermal computing devices could provide stable, reliable, and efficient alternatives to electronic counterparts, leading to a seismic shift in computational technologies.
在不断发展的非传统计算领域中，本综述探讨了新兴的热计算领域。热计算机将热量用作计算元件，与传统计算范式相比有显著转变。本综述聚焦于通过热传递机制运行的存储设备和逻辑门，探索热计算利用热量进行计算的潜力，以及在传统电子范式之外拓展计算的边界。这项工作的动机源于需要突破传统电子系统的计算局限（自20世纪以来，传统电子系统掩盖了所有其他形式的计算），利用在转换过程中损失的72%的全球一次能源。通过利用全球大量的废热能，可以设想在自供电系统、极端环境应用和服务器农场等不同领域实现计算进步，热计算设备可在其中与电子系统协同交互。为解决热计算在工程适用性和实际集成方面综合研究的不足，本综述详细分析了热存储设备和逻辑门，评估了它们的数据保持能力、不同状态、读写速度，以及可扩展性和潜在的实际应用。对这些设备的全面技术就绪评估突显了它们的潜力以及从理论构建向实用工具转变过程中面临的挑战。评估结果发现，辐射热晶体管的得分比所有其他存储设备高出9.4%，纳米热机械逻辑门的得分比其他逻辑设备高出27%。总之，本综述强调了热计算进一步发展的必要性，突显了其革新计算模型和拓展信息科学前沿的潜力。通过将滞后现象和双稳态与有效的阈值化相结合，热计算设备可为电子同类设备提供稳定、可靠且高效的替代方案，从而引发计算技术的重大变革。
