Unconventional Computing: The Quiet Revolution Beneath the Silicon 100

Each year, EE Times’ Silicon 100 offers a glimpse into the future of electronics—where the capital flows, which technologies are gaining traction, and how geopolitical winds shape the startup ecosystem. The 2025 edition is no exception. AI and quantum continue to dominate headlines and investment decks. But something more subtle—and arguably more radical—is taking shape deep in the stack: unconventional computing.

Not long ago, ideas like thermodynamic processors or reversible computing were the stuff of theoretical papers and research posters. Today, they’re quietly earning their place on the Silicon 100 alongside flashy AI chipmakers and quantum juggernauts. Two

startups are signaling the shift.

Vaire is building chips that recycle energy at the logic level—a technique known as reversible computing. Instead of burning energy as heat, their resonator circuits aim to reuse it. Meanwhile, Normal Computing is applying the laws of thermodynamics—noise, entropy, and energy minimization—to deliver hardware better suited for AI’s probabilistic nature. Both companies share a vision: that a radically different physical approach is needed to solve modern computing’s power and scalability challenges.

This hits home for us.

At Slip Signal Technologies, we’ve been exploring a similarly unconventional path—not by rewriting the logic of computing, but by redesigning the logic itself to operate cleanly in our increasingly chaotic electromagnetic environment. Our SEDL technology operates with high-speed edges engineered for spectral control, offering an EMI-free foundation for digital systems.

Why does this matter?

Because the same forces driving AI and edge computing—densification, miniaturization, parallelization—are also making electromagnetic interference (EMI) a first-order problem. And like thermodynamic computing or reversible logic, EMI mitigation at the substrate level demands a rethink of the conventional.

It’s tempting to focus on the new frontiers of AI or quantum computing and overlook the enabling layers that make them viable. But as this year’s Silicon 100 reminds us, true breakthroughs often start below the surface—in the physics, in the substrate, in the wiring.

That’s why we’re encouraged to see startups gaining recognition. They validate a belief we hold deeply at Slip Signal: the next wave of innovation will come not just from new ideas at the top of the stack, but from bold reimagining at the very bottom.

If you're building the future and need a foundation that is electromagnetically silent, spectrally clean, and fundamentally efficient, we’re here to talk.