DNA carries the genetic instructions for all living things, but it is also an extraordinarily dense way to store information. Just one gram can hold roughly 215 million gigabytes of data.

If that level of storage could be harnessed in electronics, it could lead to far more efficient data centers, faster processing, and the ability to handle much more complex information. The challenge has been making a biological molecule like DNA work within electronic systems. Researchers at Penn State say they have now found a way to connect the two.

The team’s approach, reported in Advanced Functional Materials with a patent application underway, relies on two main components. One is synthetic DNA, made from chemically engineered short sequences designed for specific electronic functions. The other is crystalline perovskite, a semiconductor widely used in solar cells, lasers, and data storage devices.

“Biology and electronics are different domains,” said Kavya S. Keremane, co-corresponding author and postdoctoral researcher in materials science and engineering at Penn State. “Bridging these two fields required developing an entirely new materials platform that allows them to function seamlessly together. By combining the information storage capabilities of DNA with the exceptional electronic properties of perovskite semiconductors, we created a bio-hybrid system that fundamentally changes how low-power memory devices can be designed.”