Title is a bit misleading - it's not pure germanium that superconducts here, it's germanium doped w/ Gallium atoms.

Superconducting germanium alloys have been known for decades, I used a Molybdenum/Germanium superconducting alloy in my PhD research 20 years ago, with much higher Tc.

The interesting aspect of this current experiment is the precise alignment of the Ga atoms into specific points of the Ge lattice, so preserving the crystalline structure order which leads to some interesting effects.

From TFA: "germanium [...] widely used in computer chips".

Really? Was there a major breakthrough in adoption of SiGe tech? Or is that just bad reporting?

whole article is suspect in that it mentions cryogenic consumer products or maybe this is a slip and next gen refrigerator advertising will be run by a self hosting AI

Researchers have for the first time turned germanium—a widely used semiconductor—into a superconducting material by embedding gallium atoms in its crystal structure. This breakthrough could usher in a new era of quantum devices and ultra-efficient electronics.