A research team at the University of Minnesota is proposing a molecular-circuit assembly technique that they believe will be compatible with silicon-based electronics. A patterned silicon substrate, complete with interconnection pads, carries DNA-coded “tiles” that serve as breadboards for nanocomponents.

To goal is a memory structure with a density of 10 trillion bits/cm² — 100 times denser than the 64-Gbit DRAMs the electronics industry projects for 2010.