Scaffolded DNA Computer Runs 10 Programs, Reaching 100-Bit Equilibrium Computation
Updated
Updated · Nature.com · Sep 16
Scaffolded DNA Computer Runs 10 Programs, Reaching 100-Bit Equilibrium Computation
3 articles · Updated · Nature.com · Sep 16
Summary
Researchers demonstrated a Scaffolded DNA Computer that lets DNA strands relax to the correct answer at equilibrium, completing 10 programs including parity checks, division, multiplication and 25-bit addition.
Typical 4-position runs delivered about 95% yield, while small instances finished in under 1 minute and renewable versions were rerun 9 to 25 times without major signal loss.
The design aims to avoid explicit error-correction and precise kinetic control by making correct outputs thermodynamically favored over mismatched states through engineered DNA binding energies.
Scale-up tests reached 25 scaffold positions and 100 bits of computation, though larger systems needed slower anneals—up to 14 hours—and still faced sequence and energy-landscape constraints.
The work offers a proof of principle for lower-energy equilibrium computing and could inform future molecular computing, DNA data storage and programmable nanostructure assembly.