The idea of “mushroom data storage” may sound like science fiction — but researchers are now exploring how fungi might be used to store and process data. Recent studies show that edible mushrooms like Lentinula edodes (shiitake) and other fungi can act as organic memory devices with memristive (memory-resistor) behaviour
In this article we explain what this research is, why it matters, how it works (so far), and what challenges lie ahead for mushroom-based computing.
What the Research Finds
- Scientists at The Ohio State University discovered that edible mushrooms can be grown and then dehydrated, wired into circuits, and used as organic memory devices (memristors) that retain “past electrical state” information.
- These fungal memory devices were shown to switch between electrical states at up to ~5,850 signals per second with about 90% accuracy in tests. ScienceDaily
- The mushrooms were able to mimic some behaviours of semiconductor-based chips: storing information, changing conductivity/resistance based on past currents, and behaving like components in neuromorphic or “brain-inspired” computing systems.
- Researchers highlight other advantages: mushrooms are biodegradable, potentially low-cost, and require fewer rare-earth minerals compared to conventional semiconductors.
Why This Matters
- Sustainability: Traditional computing hardware relies heavily on rare-earth materials, intensive fabrication, and energy consumption. If fungi can serve as memory components, that could reduce environmental impact.
- Novel computing paradigms: The memristive behaviour of mushrooms aligns with neuromorphic computing — architectures which behave more like brains (i.e., learning, adapting) rather than standard digital logic. This could open new directions in AI, edge computing, low-power devices.
- Resilience & adaptability: Fungi are known to survive in extreme environments, suggesting potential for rugged bio-electronics applications (e.g., space, harsh climates) where conventional chips may fail.
How Does It Work? (In Brief)
- Researchers grow fungal material (mushrooms, mycelium) under controlled conditions.
- The material is then dehydrated to stabilize it and wired into circuits: probes connect to different parts of the mushroom because different areas have different electrical characteristics.
- Electrical signals (voltages, various frequencies) are applied, and the mushroom’s resistance or conductivity changes based on the history of that applied voltage — that is the memristor behaviour.
- The switching between states can be used to store memory (like “1” and “0”) or modulate signals, though current speeds and densities are far lower than commercial chips.
Limitations & What to Watch
- Performance gap: Though ~5,850 state changes per second with ~90% accuracy is promising, it’s still far behind the speed, density and reliability of modern silicon memory chips.
- Miniaturization & integration: The fungal devices in experiments are relatively large and not yet integrated into full computing systems. Scaling down and integrating into chips remains a challenge.
- Durability & stability: While dehydration helps, long‐term reliability, stability under varying temperatures/humidity, and degradation issues need further study.
- Manufacturing & standardization: Growing and wiring mushrooms for electronics is fundamentally different from semiconductor manufacturing; standard processes, quality control, and mass manufacture are unproven.
- Practical use cases: It remains to be seen which applications will first adopt fungal memory — likely niche, specialized uses rather than mainstream storage.
Potential Applications
- Edge devices or sensors that require low-power memory and can sacrifice speed/density for sustainability.
- Bio-electronics, neuromorphic systems, hardware that mimics brain-like response rather than pure digital logic.
- Environments where biodegradability or unusual resilience are beneficial (e.g., environmental sensors, remote/hazardous settings).
- Experimental computing, academic research, novel architectures rather than replacing mainstream DRAM/Flash in the near term.
Background & Context
The idea of organic or “living” electronics has been emerging for several years. Before this recent fungi work, researchers had studied other biological substrates — e.g., mycelium networks, plants, slime mould — for their electrical/logic properties.
This research comes at a time when data generation is exploding globally, and new storage/material technologies are needed to continue scaling. Bio-electronics offers an alternative route compared to traditional semiconductor scaling.
Final Thoughts
The concept of mushroom data storage may sound like the stuff of sci-fi, but the current research is real, interesting and has genuine potential. While we’re a long way from “store your photos on a shiitake chip”, the fact that edible fungi can behave like memory devices is compelling and opens new possibilities for sustainable computing.
For users, businesses and technologists, this means keeping an eye on how bio-electronics evolves and how new materials around fungi might influence hardware architecture in the future.
