Powerful domestic super computers will appear in 2020
In the near future, if the company Optalysys things will work out at home may appear compact and eco-friendly optical computers capable of performing quadrillions of calculations per second. The company says that in a few months will be able to show a working prototype of an optical computer processing power of 346 gigaflops. Of course, it's not as fast as a supercomputer, but it is enough to prove the possibility of the concept of optical computers.
Portal Engadget decided to share information on how it works. After the layer of liquid crystal lattices directed low power laser which adjusts the intensity of light according to the user input data into the computer. The result is a variable intensity is transformed into a computer language which he understands and can be used to solve mathematical equations and perform other tasks. Through dispersion of the laser beam through a plurality of such liquid crystal lattices system will be able to more effectively perform parallel tasks, compared with the same multiprocessor supercomputers.
In addition, such a system would require a very small amount of energy consumption, which will save a large part of the budget. Compared with the same supercomputer "Tianhe-2", which annually consumes electricity for millions of dollars, an optical computer with the same capacity will consume power only for a few thousand dollars.
After the launch of the prototype optical system Optalysys company plans to build on its base two products: optical coprocessor "for large amounts of data," which can be used as part of the existing supercomputers, as well as a separate full-fledged optical supercomputer.
Of course, while the company's plans Optalysys seem sheer fantasy, but with the first direct evidence of its potential we will be able to meet in January next year, when the company introduced the first prototype of its optical computer.
