Anastasi in Tech on YouTube recently came out with a new video about Light Speed Computers. There have been a number of contenders for the next big step in computing technology, notably quantum computers and Graphene chips. As this breakthrough seems to be a big one, I am posting a quick TLDR summary here.
Since these computers use Light to compute, it also sparks my fantasies from early childhood pertaining to light and various depictions of futuristic computing in TRON.
TL;DR:
- Problem: Traditional computer chips are slowing down, and AI demands more power.
- Solution: Light-based (photonic) computing is emerging as an alternative.
- Why Light?: It enables analog computing, bypassing digital bottlenecks like capacitor switching.
- Efficiency: Photonic chips require fewer components and use less power (~30x more efficient than digital chips).
- Breakthrough: Q.ANT developed the Native Processing Unit (NPU), a commercial photonic chip.
- Technology: Uses lithium niobate, allowing fast, low-loss, and energy-efficient optical computing.
- Comparison to GPUs: NPUs could match GPU AI performance in two years with 10x higher density and 30x lower power consumption.
- AI Training & Inference: Unlike traditional chips, photonic computing modifies light directly for calculations.
- Adoption: NPUs integrate with existing PCIe and x86 systems, supporting AI libraries like TensorFlow & PyTorch.
- Future: Light will play a major role in data center networking, chip interconnects, and AI acceleration.
- Beyond NPUs: Companies like NVIDIA and TSMC are developing silicon photonics for faster networking.
- Quantum Computing?: Still uncertain, but photonics may solve some of its problems.
Photonic computing is closer than ever to real-world AI applications. 🚀
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