2024-05-02 10:03:57
American engineers from the University of Pennsylvania have developed a new microchip that uses light waves instead of electricity for complex mathematical calculations. The study was published in the scientific journal Nature Photonics, Day.Az reports with reference to Gazeta.ru.
According to the creators, the silicon photonic (SiPh) processor of their design was the first of its kind. It allows you to perform vector matrix multiplication – the main mathematical operation in the development and operation of neural networks that underlie artificial intelligence technologies.
The engineers clarified that they were able to achieve results due to the non-uniform thickness of the chip wafer, changing it within 150 nanometers in certain areas. This approach made it possible to control the scattering of light in specific patterns without adding other materials.
According to scientists, the device can carry out complex calculations almost at the speed of light. In addition, the processor architecture guarantees almost complete protection against hacking of systems based on it due to the fact that the chip does not need to upload confidential information into the computer’s working memory. This is achieved using parallel computing.
“No one can hack a non-existent memory to gain access to your information,” explained one of the authors of the development, Associate Professor Firuza Aflatuni.