Researchers at IBM US-based laboratories and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a new method to use DNA to create next-gen microchips that are faster, cheaper and more energy efficient.

Artificial DNA nanostructures, or "DNA origami" may provide a cheap framework on which to build tiny microchips, according to a paper published on Sunday in the journal Nature anotechnology. This means that such DNA molecules can be used as scaffolds (mini circuit boards) for carbon nanotubes, nanowires and nanoparticles to assemble themselves into precise patterns.

"This is the first demonstration of using biological molecules to help with processing in the semiconductor industry," IBM research manager Spike Narayan told Reuters. "Basically, this is telling us that biological structures like DNA actually offer some very reproducible, repetitive kinds of patterns that we can actually leverage in semiconductor processes" The research might help manufacturers such as IBM, Intel and AMD keep up with Moore's Law, which states that the number of transistors on a circuit roughly double every two years. The biggest obstacle to keeping up with Moore's Law is developing smaller and smaller chipsets.