Magnetoelectrics and multiferroics: Materials and opportunities for energy-efficient spin-based memory and logic

With the explosion of Internet traffic, the rise of large data centers, and smart technologies on the horizon, forecasts of the global energy consumption from information, and communications technologies are expected to rise from similar to 8% in 2020 to similar to 21% in 2030. The future demand will challenge the supply of electricity and has technology makers looking for ways to improve the efficiency of information and communication devices. In recent years, advances in magnetoelectric and multiferroic materials now provide the basis for nonvolatile spin-based logic and memory elements that have a projected energy efficiency orders of magnitude larger than the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor transistor. The possibilities are exciting, yet significant challenges remain. This article summarizes key materials, recent advancements, and current challenges in electric-field-controlled magnetism for realizing these potentially transformational devices. A perspective and potential considerations are given.