Scientists built a machine to solve what AI can't
A team of scientists has developed a new machine designed to tackle complex combinatorial problems that current AI systems struggle with. This brain-inspired computer utilizes quantum tunneling physics to efficiently search for optimal solutions in vast problem spaces. The research, led by Shantanu Chakrabartty, suggests that future computational challenges require fundamentally different approaches rather than just faster hardware.
- ▪The machine was developed by researchers from multiple institutions including Washington University and the Indian Institute of Science.
- ▪It is designed to solve combinatorial problems, which are challenging for traditional AI models.
- ▪The computer operates on ordinary CMOS hardware and guarantees optimal solutions through its unique design.
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Scientists built a machine to solve what AI can't Ellsworth Toohey 5:44 pm Thu May 28, 2026 Gorodenkoff/shutterstock.com A team spread across Washington University in St Louis, the Indian Institute of Science, Heidelberg University, Johns Hopkins, and UC Santa Cruz built a computer to solve the kind of problem that stumps today's chatbots, and they describe it in a new paper out of the Indian Institute of Science. As they put it: Today, AI models may have the capability to write novels and even steer a spacecraft. But give them a logistics network, a microchip to route, or a cryptographic lock, and they stall. These are combinatorial problems.
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