Smart heat control of microchips

Technological progress in the electronics sector, such as higher speeds, reduced costs, and smaller sizes, result in entirely new possibilities of automation and industrial production, without which “Industry 4.0” would not be feasible. In particular, miniaturization advanced considerably in the last years. Meanwhile, physical flow of a few electrons is sufficient to execute a software. But this progress also has its dark side. Processors for industrial production of less than 10 nm in dimension are highly sensitive. By specific overloading through incorrect control commands, hackers might initiate an artificial aging process that will destroy the processors within a few days. To defend such attacks on industrial facilities in the future, researchers are now working on a smart self-monitoring system. …read more