The electronics industry is approaching a limit to the number of transistors that can be packed onto the surface of a computer chip. So, chip manufacturers are looking to build up rather than out.

Instead of squeezing ever-smaller transistors onto a single surface, the industry is aiming to stack multiple surfaces of transistors and semiconducting elements — akin to turning a ranch house into a high-rise. Such multilayered chips could handle exponentially more data and carry out many more complex functions than today’s electronics.

MIT researchers fabricated 3D chips with alternating layers of semiconducting material grown directly on top of each other. The method eliminates thick silicon between layers, leading to better and faster computation, for applications like more efficient AI hardware.