Nokia's $1.35B Job: Pioneer World's Strongest Material

Get ready for 'graphene revolution'
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 1, 2013 4:38 AM CST
Updated Feb 1, 2013 5:22 AM CST
Nokia's $1.35B Job: Pioneer World's Strongest Material
An aerial view of mobile phone maker Nokia's headquarters in Espoo, Finland on June 14, 2012.   (AP Photo/Lehtikuva/Benjamin Suomela)

Computing's next big thing could be on its way. Nokia has received a $1.35 billion grant from the EU to develop graphene, the strongest material the world has ever seen. At one atom thick, it's 300 times stronger than steel, Tom's Hardware notes. Nokia says it started working with the material in 2006, but believes "the greatest innovations have yet to be discovered."

"We’re now looking at the beginning of a graphene revolution," says a researcher. Long ago, "we figured out a way to manufacture cheap iron that led to the Industrial Revolution. Then there was silicon. Now, it’s time for graphene." Nokia is heading up a Graphene Flagship Emporium, partnering with 73 other firms and academic institutions to investigate the stuff. That's not just great for research: "It will also create work and jobs across all of Europe," says the researcher. (More Nokia stories.)

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