2024-02-22 12:00:14
Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a new type of chip that, unlike traditional chips that run on electricity, uses light waves to perform complex mathematical calculations. This innovation could not only significantly accelerate the vitesse (On distingue 🙂 processing of computers but also reduce their consumption ofenergy (In the common sense, energy designates everything that allows us to carry out work, make energy, etc.).
This chip, based on silicon photonics (SiPh), is the result of a research (Scientific research refers primarily to all actions undertaken with a view to…) avant-garde of Nader Engheta, winner of the medal Benjamin Franklin (Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 in Boston – April 17, 1790 in…)and Professor H. Nedwill Ramsey, in the field of manipulation of materials (A material is a matter of natural or artificial origin that man shapes to…) on a nanometric scale to carry out mathematical calculations with lumière (Light is all electromagnetic waves visible to the eye…). Combining this expertise with the SiPh platform, which uses silicon (an abundant and inexpensive element), this technology (The word technology has two meanings in fact 🙂 opens the way to computers going beyond current limitations.
The collaboration between Engheta’s group and that of Firooz Aflatouni, associate professor of electrical and systems engineering, led to the development of this chip. Their research, published in Nature Photonicsaims to create a platform capable of performing multiplications of matrices by vectors, an operation mathematics (Mathematics constitutes a domain of abstract knowledge constructed using…) essential for the neural networks that power today’s AI tools.
Unlike a traditional approach that would use a silicon wafer of uniform height, this technology involves making the silicon thinner, around 150 nanometers, but only in certain regions. These height variations make it possible to control the propagation of light through the chip, which allows mathematical calculations to be carried out at the same time. speed of light (The speed of light in a vacuum, denoted c (for…).
In addition to increased speed and reduced power consumption, this chip also offers privacy benefits. Indeed, the possibility of performing numerous calculations simultaneously eliminates the need to store sensitive information in the RAM (RAM, system memory or volatile memory, also called RAM…) of the’computer (A computer is a machine equipped with a processing unit allowing it…)theoretically making a computer equipped with this technology inviolable.
The potential applications of this technology are vast, particularly in graphics processing units (GPUs), the demand for which has exploded with growing interest in developing new AI systems. This innovation marks a giant step toward faster, more efficient and more secure computers.
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