A pioneering advancement is reshaping the landscape of low-power and quantum computing, anchored by a comprehensive technical roadmap for two-dimensional (2D) Indium Selenides (InSe). Spearheaded by Professor Seunguk Song and his team from Sungkyunkwan University’s Department of Energy Science, this groundbreaking research offers a visionary blueprint for exploiting InSe’s unique material properties to transcend the limitations of silicon-based technology. In collaboration with the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), the University of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, the study navigates the path toward next-generation electronics and optoelectronics, promising a paradigm shift in computational methodologies.
The research, featured in Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering, dissects the intrinsic physical characteristics of 2D Indium Selenides, a quantum semiconductor that stands as an auspicious alternative to silicon. With silicon nearing its physical scaling limits and facing insurmountable hurdles like heat dissipation and energy inefficiency, the scientific community has been fervently searching for materials that can sustain exponential advancements in computational power. InSe emerges as a frontrunner due to its atomically thin structure and exceptional ballistic transport, which grants electrons the ability to traverse through the material at remarkable speeds with minimal scattering.
Delving deeper into the physics, one of InSe’s standout attributes is its extremely small effective electron mass. This property is pivotal because it allows for ultra-high-speed electron conduction while substantially reducing the energy required for operation. Consequently, InSe-based devices promise greater efficiency, combating one of the most pressing concerns in microelectronics: the trade-off between speed and power consumption. By mitigating this balance, InSe offers a pathway to devices that operate at unprecedented speeds without the penalty of excessive heat generation.
Furthermore, the research highlights InSe’s ferroelectric characteristics, which depend on specific atomic arrangements within the material. Ferroelectricity in 2D materials enables them to maintain a persistent electrical polarization that can be switched by external electric fields, effectively “remembering” their state. This property is ideal for integrating logic and memory functions within a single platform, a feature that challenges the conventional separation of computing (logic) and storage (memory) embodied by the Von Neumann architecture.
This convergence of computation and memory in InSe material is revolutionary. By enabling in-memory computing, where data processing occurs within the memory itself, the material inherently reduces latency and power consumption associated with shuttling data between separate CPU and memory units. This architectural shift could dramatically improve efficiency in various technologies, including edge computing devices and artificial intelligence systems, where energy efficiency and processing speed are paramount.
The roadmap outlines viable technological steps for scaling InSe from ultra-fine quantum transistors to robust non-volatile memory systems. Achieving this necessitates overcoming significant hurdles such as the synthesis of large-area, high-quality InSe films and ensuring their stability against oxidation—two critical factors for commercial viability. The research team’s comprehensive strategy addresses these challenges through advanced material engineering and fabrication techniques, which promise to unlock the full technological potential of InSe.
Once these barriers are crossed, InSe is anticipated to catalyze breakthroughs in quantum computing peripherals. The material’s quantum properties complement the fragile quantum states used in quantum bits (qubits), potentially enabling devices that operate efficiently alongside quantum processors. Its low-power nature is also a boon for the burgeoning field of AI semiconductors, where maintaining performance under stringent power budgets is a constant challenge.
Professor Seunguk Song encapsulates the significance of this research by noting that Indium Selenide represents far more than a novel material—it heralds a fundamental shift in computing paradigms. The transition from traditional, separated memory-logic architectures to integrated, multifunctional systems could reshape the future of electronics, bridging the realms of quantum information science and low-power semiconductor technologies.
The interdisciplinary and international collaboration underpinning this work reveals a concerted effort across institutions and countries, including contributions from the IBS Center for 2D Quantum Heterostructures, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, and the University of Pennsylvania. The multifaceted support from agencies like Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT, National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Office of Naval Research (ONR), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) reflects the strategic importance attributed to this research.
Indium Selenide’s potential to revolutionize the electronics industry aligns with pressing global demands for devices that consume less power while delivering higher performance. Its atomic-scale thickness coupled with the intrinsic electrical and quantum mechanical properties position it uniquely to overcome the bottlenecks silicon faces in the quantum era. This roadmap not only charts a clear course for the academic and industrial communities but also propels material science into dimensions that may define the next decade of technological innovation.
The confluence of ballistic transport efficiency, ferroelectric memory retention, and the ability to unify processing and memory functionalities portends a future in which electronic devices become vastly more efficient, compact, and capable. InSe’s versatility might also inspire new classes of multifunctional devices for sensing, neuromorphic computing, and integrated photonics, broadening the horizons of what is achievable with 2D materials.
Moreover, the emphasis on scalability and industrial feasibility jumps beyond theoretical promise, focusing on practical, manufacturable solutions that can be integrated into existing semiconductor production lines. This pragmatic approach underscores the research’s ambition to influence not just scientific understanding but also tangible technological progress and market readiness.
In summation, this pioneering roadmap advocates for Indium Selenide as a keystone material that could redefine computing from the ground up—transitioning the world from silicon dependence to a new era where quantum 2D materials dominate the landscape. As the scientific and technological communities begin to adopt and build upon these findings, the future of electronics looks set to embrace faster, smarter, and more energy-efficient paradigms, fundamentally transforming how information is processed and stored.
Subject of Research: Two-dimensional Indium Selenides as materials for next-generation low-power and quantum computing devices
Article Title: Indium selenides for next-generation low-power computing devices
News Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Web References: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44287-025-00251-w
References: Song, S., Glavin, N., Jariwala, D., Altvater, M., Lee, W., & Shin, H.S. (2026). Indium selenides for next-generation low-power computing devices. Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering.
Image Credits: Credit: Seunguk Song (First & Corresponding Author), Nicholas Glavin (Co-Corresponding Author), Deep Jariwala (Co-Corresponding Author), Michael Altvater, Wonchan Lee, and Hyeon Suk Shin.
Keywords
Electrical engineering, two-dimensional materials, Indium Selenide, low-power computing, quantum semiconductors, ballistic transport, ferroelectricity, in-memory computing, quantum computing peripherals, semiconductor scalability.
