A processor that can operate at temperatures up to 700 degrees was accidentally designed.

A serendipitous discovery by scientists could change the way high-temperature electronics are designed. During experiments, researchers created a chip that functions at temperatures previously considered destructive for any electronic component.

Why high temperatures were a challenge

Electronic devices traditionally struggle with heat: above 200 °C, they stop functioning entirely. This limitation hindered the development of instruments for extreme conditions, such as planetary exploration or deep-earth drilling. The new USC team’s chip could break this thermal barrier.

Record-breaking heat resistance

The study published in Science shows a memory chip operating reliably at 700 °C — hotter than lava. It maintained data for over 50 hours, survived more than a billion switching cycles, and worked at only 1.5 V, with nanosecond-level response. By comparison, modern smartphone and satellite chips degrade after just a few hours at 200 °C.

“This is a revolutionary achievement,” said lead researcher Joshua Yan.

The chip’s design secrets

The chip is structured like a “layered sandwich”:

• Top layer: tungsten, highly heat-resistant.
• Middle layer: thin ceramic.
• Bottom layer: graphene, preventing short circuits.

In conventional chips, heat pushes metal atoms through the ceramic, causing short circuits. Graphene stops this: tungsten atoms cannot adhere to its surface and retreat, preserving functionality. Yan compares the effect to “oil and water.”

“By our estimates, this is the most heat-resistant memory ever demonstrated,” the scientist emphasized.

The discovery was accidental

Interestingly, this remarkable effect was discovered by chance. “Most major scientific breakthroughs happen unexpectedly, and this is no exception,” Yan noted.

Applications in artificial intelligence

The chip can accelerate computations in AI systems like ChatGPT. Over 90 % of operations in such systems involve repetitive calculations, which this chip can perform directly as current passes through, increasing speed and energy efficiency compared to current solutions.

Mass production and future prospects

Two of the three materials — tungsten and hafnium oxide — are already standard in global semiconductor manufacturing. Graphene is newer, but companies like TSMC and Samsung have already incorporated it into their roadmaps and successfully grown it in lab-scale wafers.

“We are close to using this chip for space research and other extreme projects. It opens entirely new horizons,” Yan said.

Funding and research base

The project is conducted at CONCRETE — the Center for Neuromorphic Computing under Extreme Environments, with support from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.