The explosion of digital data around the world is driving up energy demands at an astonishing pace.
Within just a few decades, the amount of power needed to store and process information is projected to account for nearly one-third of global energy consumption.
Now, researchers in Sweden have made a discovery that could dramatically reduce this burden: an atomically thin material that allows two opposing magnetic forces to exist in harmony, slashing energy consumption in memory devices by a factor of ten.
The breakthrough comes from a team at Chalmers University of Technology, who published their findings in the journal Advanced Materials.
Their new material could pave the way for ultra-efficient, reliable memory units essential for artificial intelligence, smartphones, advanced computers, and future data technologies.
Magnetism has long been central to memory storage. In electronic devices, magnetic states determine how information is stored and retrieved.
By manipulating the spins of electrons with electric currents and magnetic fields, engineers can create memory chips that are smaller, faster, and more efficient.
But the sheer scale of data processing today has created an urgent need for new materials that can handle this demand without consuming vast amounts of energy.
Traditionally, scientists have relied on two different kinds of magnetism. Ferromagnetism, which makes iron magnets stick to your refrigerator, occurs when electrons line up in the same direction, producing a strong magnetic field. A
ntiferromagnetism, by contrast, happens when electrons align in opposite directions, canceling each other out. Each state has its own advantages, and combining them could create powerful new technologies.
Until now, however, such combinations were only possible by stacking different materials together in complicated multilayer structures.
The Chalmers team has achieved something never seen before: both ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism existing within a single two-dimensional crystal.
“Finding this coexistence of magnetic orders in a single, thin material is a breakthrough,” said Dr. Bing Zhao, a researcher in quantum device physics and lead author of the study.
“Its properties make it exceptionally well-suited for developing ultra-efficient memory chips for AI, mobile devices, computers, and future data technologies.”
The secret lies in the way this new material handles electron orientation. In conventional systems, memory devices require an external magnetic field to flip the direction of electrons, a process that consumes considerable energy.
The Chalmers material creates its own internal force because of the coexistence of the two magnetic states, producing a slight “tilt” in its overall magnetic alignment.
This tilt allows electrons to switch direction quickly and easily without external assistance. In practical terms, it eliminates the need for energy-hungry magnetic fields and reduces power usage tenfold.
The material itself is an alloy composed of cobalt, iron, germanium, and tellurium. When formed into ultrathin layers, it combines magnetic and non-magnetic elements in a way that naturally produces both magnetic states at once.
These two-dimensional layers are stacked together using van der Waals forces—weak attractions between atoms—rather than chemical bonds. This makes the system easier to manufacture and more reliable, avoiding the defects and seams that often arise in multilayer magnetic stacks.
“This discovery provides a kind of ready-made magnetic system,” explained Professor Saroj P. Dash, leader of the project. “It eliminates the complexity of traditional multilayered structures and opens up an entirely new path for memory technology.”
With digital data consumption showing no signs of slowing, breakthroughs like this could be critical in curbing energy use while enabling the next generation of computing.
If developed into practical devices, this new material could power everything from AI and cloud computing to smartphones and medical equipment—delivering the same performance at a fraction of the energy cost.
