A research team from Fudan University has designed and demonstrated a working 32-bit RISC-V microprocessor built using molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), a two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting material, rather than traditional silicon. Their findings were recently published in the journal Nature.
Silicon has been the standard material for microprocessors for decades, but as chipmakers attempt to further miniaturize components, they’ve reached physical limitations—silicon simply can’t be made thinner. Alternatives like graphene have been explored, but such materials often lack the semiconducting properties required for processors.
In this new work, the Fudan team turned to molybdenum disulfide, a material with semiconducting properties and an ultra-thin structure just a few atoms thick. Although not perfectly flat due to its zigzag bonding pattern, MoS₂ offers a promising platform for building next-generation transistors. The researchers placed single-molecule-thick MoS₂ sheets onto a sapphire substrate to construct the processor.
https://github.com/BrentGNT/Arch2
https://github.com/TomGMN/ffkoa
https://github.com/BryanEMD/kkstb
https://github.com/CodyEGT/Sfumm
https://github.com/ErikBDT/Fcumg
https://github.com/DorianKVT/Mwum
https://github.com/JeremyEGT/Ahum9
https://github.com/AidenBMT/Wmumd
https://github.com/BlakeTNS/S2ugm
https://github.com/BrettKNO/Zadzmg
https://github.com/BrodyTNN/Cscofps
https://github.com/CalebSNT/Bmumg
https://github.com/CarterSMN/KtbsK
https://github.com/ChaseDNT/Trucg
https://github.com/CooperTRN/Sf2ueg
https://github.com/DaltonYNT/Ssumg
https://github.com/EthanGNM/Wwhug
https://github.com/JacksonMRT/Bwum
https://github.com/AtevenKLD/Wtmum
https://github.com/JoshBDO/Coum5
Unlike silicon-based transistors, which rely on doping to control voltage thresholds, the ultra-thin MoS₂ required the team to wire the transistors manually to adjust voltage. They also constructed depletion-mode inverters by integrating logic gates, a key component for building functional processor circuits.
Using the longest delay path between transistors, they calculated the chip’s maximum processing speed, which reached the kilohertz range. The processor demonstrated an impressive fabrication yield of 99.9% for individual components and 99.8% at the chip level.
The resulting microprocessor, built with 5,900 transistors, was capable of executing the complete 32-bit RISC-V instruction set. To verify its functionality, the team ran a test where the chip successfully added two 32-bit numbers.
The researchers describe their chip as potentially the most advanced non-silicon microprocessor created to date. While it is not yet suitable for mainstream computing tasks, the team believes the technology could be refined for niche applications that require ultra-low power consumption.
This development marks a major step toward the future of 2D-material-based electronics, offering new possibilities as the semiconductor industry looks beyond the limitations of silicon.
