5/26/2026 Researchers led by Qing Cao have demonstrated a scalable way to directly and sequentially stack high-performance silicon circuits. This advance marks a critical step toward realizing the full potential of three-dimensional chips that could carry computing beyond the limits of traditional scaling. Written by Michael O'Boyle Researchers led by Illinois Grainger Engineering professor Qing Cao have demonstrated a scalable way to directly and sequentially stack high-performance silicon circuits. This advance marks a critical step toward realizing the full potential of three-dimensional chips that could carry computing beyond the limits of traditional scaling. For more than half a century, the power of computers has grown by shrinking transistors and packing them more tightly onto flat chips. It worked too well. Devices are now becoming so small that they start to be fundamentally limited by atomic dimensions and quantum effects. The next leap can come from adding a new dimension: building upward.…