Modern computers operate at enormous speeds—capable of executing in excess of 1013 instructions per second—but their sequential approach to processing, by which logical operations are performed one after another, has remained unchanged since the 1950s. In contrast, although individual neurons of the human brain fire at around just 103 times per second, the simultaneous collective action of millions of neurons enables them to complete certain tasks more efficiently than even the fastest supercomputer. Here we demonstrate an assembly of molecular switches that simultaneously interact to perform a variety of computational tasks including conventional digital logic, calculating Voronoi diagrams, and simulating natural phenomena such as heat diffusion and cancer growth. As well as representing a conceptual shift from serial-processing with static architectures, our parallel, dynamically reconfigurable approach could provide a means to solve otherwise intractable computational problems.

Conventionally, it is assumed that a single molecule has only one absolute electronic property. Molecular electronics, molecular machines, intelligent drugs are some of the fields that require atomic scale control of molecular properties. In spite of remarkable achievements in the last two decades, absolute control of molecular properties has not been achieved. Here, experimental evidences argue against assigning a fixed property to a molecule. A molecule might structurally accommodate itself to the new environment and its electronic properties might change accordingly. By isolating electronic properties of all the conformers of a Rose Bengal molecule one by one, a map of its complete electronic properties is drawn here. The existing concept of one absolute electronic property of a molecule is true only for those molecules, which have only one stable conformer. For others, depending on the conformer, multiple distinct electronic properties may co-exist, leading to a variable output in an electronic characterization. Thus, we present a generalized method for characterizing/resolving collective electronic properties that emerge statistically. The method could be used for designing molecular switches for collective and evolutionary information processing.

A machine assembly consisting of 17 identical molecules of 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-1–4-benzoquinone (DRQ) executes 16 instructions at a time. A single DRQ is positioned at the center of a circular ring formed by 16 other DRQs, controlling their operation in parallel through hydrogen-bond channels. Each molecule is a logic machine and generates four instructions by rotating its alkyl groups. A single instruction executed by a scanning tunneling microscope tip on the central molecule can change decisions of 16 machines simultaneously, in four billion (416) ways. This parallel communication represents a significant conceptual advance relative to today's fastest processors, which execute only one instruction at a time.

Conventionally, it is assumed that a single molecule has only one absolute electronic property. Molecular electronics, molecular machines, intelligent drugs are some of the fields that require atomic scale control of molecular properties. In spite of remarkable achievements in the last two decades, absolute control of molecular properties has not been achieved. Here, experimental evidences argue against assigning a fixed property to a molecule. A molecule might structurally accommodate itself to the new environment and its electronic properties might change accordingly. By isolating electronic properties of all the conformers of a Rose Bengal molecule one by one, a map of its complete electronic properties is drawn here. The existing concept of one absolute electronic property of a molecule is true only for those molecules, which have only one stable conformer. For others, depending on the conformer, multiple distinct electronic properties may co-exist, leading to a variable output in an electronic characterization. Thus, we present a generalized method for characterizing/resolving collective electronic properties that emerge statistically. The method could be used for designing molecular switches for collective and evolutionary information processing.