Designs for a Cooler Planet
Discover tomorrow at Aalto University's biggest exhibition! Open 1 September – 30 October 2026.
AI accelerates the search for a room-temperature superconductor
Electric current that flows without resistance would revolutionize electronics and save vast amounts of energy.
Energy consumption in the ICT sector is growing rapidly, and its COâ‚‚ emissions are projected to at least double by 2040.
In the phenomenon known as superconductivity, electricity can flow without resistance, meaning no energy is lost. However, current superconductors require extremely low temperatures or high pressure to function.
The international SuperC consortium, led by Aalto University, aims to discover a superconducting material that works at room temperature by 2033, using quantum geometry and AI to screen suitable candidates from millions of possible materials.
‘Such a discovery would be a major step forward for sustainable development, for example via energy-efficient computation, electricity transport, and magnets for levitating trains and fusion energy’ says Professor Päivi Törmä, who leads the consortium.
Find this and dozens of other fresh perspectives, bold experiments and practical solutions in the autumn exhibition.
