  A nanoscale device consisting of a metal nanowire, a dielectric, and a gate
is proposed. A combination of quantum and thermal stochastic effects enable the
device to have multiple functionalities, serving alternately as a transistor, a
variable resistor, or a simple resistive element with $I-V$ characteristics
that can switch between ohmic and non-ohmic. By manipulating the gate voltage,
stochastic transitions between different conducting states of the nanowire can
be induced, with a switching time as short as picoseconds. With an appropriate
choice of dielectric, the transconductance of the device can significantly
exceed the conductance quantum $G_0=2e^2/h$, a remarkable figure of merit for a
device at this lengthscale.
