Researchers have created a magnetic transistor that could enable smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient circuits. MIT researchers have now replaced silicon with a magnetic semiconductor, creating a magnetic transistor that could enable smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient circuits. The team used a novel magnetic material and an optimization process that reduces the material’s defects, which boosts the transistor’s performance. So far, scientists have mostly been limited to using certain magnetic materials. Their method can combine both into one magnetic transistor.