As well as Purdue University, researchers from Northwestern, Cornell, Yale and Florida universities and the University of California at San Diego will contribute to the project.
"For all decisions to be made right at the spacecraft, instead of at mission control here on Earth, requires enormous computing power, orders of magnitude more than what we have today," said Meyya Meyyappan, director of the Center for Nanotechnology at NASA Ames Research Center. "These computers will have to come in small packages, because you can't haul a bunch of mainframes into space."
The Institute says it will follow four core research themes: ultradense memories that can enable new computing architectures and systems; ultraperformance devices that can deliver orders of magnitude higher functionality for a given weight and volume; integrated chemical and bio-sensing devices that can enable a new class of autonomous space exploration probes; and adaptive systems that can be enabled by the availability of essentially unlimited memories and high-functionality devices.
With regards to ultradense memories, the Institute will investigate two potential devices - one based on electronic storage in self-assembled monolayers and the second an optical storage device that uses molecule-based nanodiodes.
"The research will focus on improving the electronics for NASA space missions, which require lots of computation, sensing, data collection, storage and communication," added Supriyo Datta, director of INAC and a professor at Purdue University.