EU Funds Chalmers Project for New Quantum Magnetic Chips
The European Innovation Council (EIC) awarded Chalmers University of Technology approximately EUR 30 million for the AMSwitch project. The initiative will explore a novel method for storing and processing information using a new class of quantum materials called altermagnets.
Chalmers University of Technology will lead the AMSwitch project, funded with approximately EUR 30 million (nearly SEK 330 million) from the European Innovation Council (EIC). This initiative aims to develop a new generation of quantum magnetic chips by investigating altermagnets, a recently discovered class of quantum materials.
The AMSwitch project will focus on harnessing the unique properties of altermagnets for information storage and processing. Unlike conventional electronics that use electric charge, altermagnets can represent information through their internal magnetic order. This approach promises ultra-fast and ultra-low-power electronic components, potentially overcoming limitations faced by shrinking transistors and reducing heat dissipation.
Professor Saroj Dash, project coordinator at Chalmers, highlighted the transformative potential. "We aim to develop ultra-energy-efficient components that can retain information even without power," Dash stated. The EIC Pathfinder Open 2025 call saw a success rate of only 2%, with 44 projects selected from thousands of proposals.
The project brings together leading European experts in quantum materials, magnetism, and device engineering. The goal is to advance from the discovery of altermagnetic quantum materials to functional logic devices, establishing a new paradigm for secure, non-volatile, and ultra-low-power computation grounded in novel magnetic states derived from quantum principles.