Perspectives

Heterogeneous integration is essential to advances in artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and mobile technologies. This Perspective outlines the emerging technology and challenges necessary to revise the technology roadmap to shape the future evolution of semiconductor systems and computing architectures.

The transition to low-carbon energy resources necessitates resilient power grids capable of handling low-inertia system dynamics. This Perspective proposes an Internet-inspired power system set-up composed of independent, asynchronous compartments able to balance energy across the entire grid.

This Perspective examines the potential of large language models (LLMs) in sixth-generation radiocommunications (6G) networks, highlighting cloud LLM fundamentals, telecom-specific adaptations, edge-device implementation techniques and multi-agent deployments.

Indium selenides, InSe and In₂Se₃, exhibit high electron mobility, high thermal velocity, thickness-tunable bandgaps and unique phase-dependent ferroelectric properties. Addressing their challenges of scalable synthesis, phase control and oxidation could be the basis for next-generation, low-power computing.

Decommissioned power semiconductor devices often still have useful life, creating opportunities to reuse rather than discard them. This Perspective outlines how careful screening and creative upcycling, including artificial intelligence-assisted assessment and circuit reconstruction, can extend device lifetimes while reducing waste and supporting a circular and lower carbon power electronics industry.

Transistors, the foundation of modern electronics, are typically rigid, planar and 2D, which limits their integration with soft, irregular, 3D biological systems. This Perspective highlights the rise of hydrogel transistors in overcoming these challenges and how they provide an unprecedented opportunity for next-generation 3D, programmable and living bioelectronics.

The Internet of Bodies, an evolution of the Internet of Things, involves devices that interact intimately with the human body. Organic electrochemical transistors are well suited for these applications owing to their integrated sensing–memory–computing functions as well as high biocompatibility.

Bayesian electronics harness the randomness of noisy sensor data to quantify uncertainty and make predictions at low computational cost. This Perspective shows how they can be realized to improve reliability and reduce energy in wearable devices, smart industrial sensors and autonomous robots

Energy equity calls for fair access to energy for all, but this sociological concept has not been defined in ways that are relevant to electric power systems. We provide a definition, summarize efforts so far and set out a roadmap of the challenges to be addressed to achieve equity of energy accessibility, affordability and resilience.

Wearable multimodal monitoring systems deliver continuous insight into patients’ health status but are constrained by power needs. Next-generation artificial intelligence-enabled wearable microgrids can drive sustainable energy harvesting, intelligent budgeting and adaptive management for autonomous, on-demand power delivery for wearable devices.

Microdisplays for the glasses and headsets used in augmented reality and virtual reality must provide high pixel density, brightness and contrast, and fast response times. This Perspective explores three advanced technologies — liquid crystal on silicon, organic light-emitting diodes on silicon, and light-emitting diodes on silicon — that can meet the challenge.

This Perspective sets out an approach to electron transport in nanoscale devices based on statistical fields — specifically the spatial and temporal variations in temperature and chemical potential that drive energy and particle flow — and highlights the importance of identifying the transport regime, which might be diffusive, ballistic or viscous.

Implantable bioresorbable electronic systems are revolutionizing precision medicine with real-time health monitoring, targeted interventions and biodegradability. This Perspective discusses architectural designs, key functional components, challenges and the transformative potential of sustainable electronics in patient-centred care.

Analogue in-memory computing (AIMC), with digital processing, forms a useful architecture for performant end-to-end execution of deep neural network models, but requires the development of sophisticated software stacks. This Perspective outlines the challenges in designing deep learning software stacks for AIMC-based accelerators, and suggests directions for future research.

This Perspective explores one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) low-dimensional low-symmetric (LDLS) semiconductors for use in polarization-sensitive photodetectors, focusing on their material properties, scalability and commercial applications in imaging, communication, navigation and computing from single device level to complex multifunctional arrays.

This Review explores Bi₂O₂Se as a promising 2D semiconductor for next-generation computing, highlighting its high mobility, suitable bandgap and native high-κ oxide, which enables wafer-scale integration and compatibility with industrial processes, while addressing key challenges in the lab-to-fab transition and proposing a roadmap for ultra-scaled, energy-efficient electronics.

Blind and partially sighted individuals face considerable challenges when interacting with digital information. This Perspective highlights important bottlenecks in information accessibility, design considerations for future wearable assistive devices and the outlook for improved access to and delivery of information in text and images.

Robot-assisted surgery relies heavily on vision and generally integrates medical imaging for diagnostic and/or navigation purposes with robots that offer accurate surgical functions. This Perspective discusses how large vision models can enhance vision-related tasks in robot-assisted surgery transforming ‘surgical robots’ into ‘robotic surgeons’.

This Perspective highlights the biofeedback capability of self-sustainable bioelectronics, which provides a new treatment paradigm. This feature enables cells and tissues to autonomously alter the supplied electrical stimulation to meet their varying needs, thereby forming a bidirectional interaction mechanism at organism–machine interfaces.

Ultra-low-power cryogenic complementary metal oxide semiconductor (cCMOS) technology is crucial for quantum computers. This Perspective highlights the challenges of the state-of-the-art technology and proposes solutions to mitigate band-tail effects, control the threshold voltage and achieve ultra-low-power cCMOS devices.