HP
introduces device capable of handling vast data at supercomputing speeds,
thousand times the speed of existing ones
Researchers from Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE)
unveiled what they claimed was a breakthrough in computing with a new machine
capable of handling vast amounts of data at supercomputing speeds.
The prototype named ‘The Machine' uses a new approach to
computer architecture, which the company says can be adapted for a range of big
data applications, handling tasks at thousands of times the speed of existing devices.
The new system is called ‘memory driven computing' and uses light waves to
transmit data instead of electrical impulses, travelling over silicon,
bypassing what engineers say is an obstacle to boosting computing speeds.
Sharad Singhal, Head,Machine Applications, HPE, said previous
efforts to boost computing power “were running into a brick wall into
computation” because computing needs are increasing beyond the capacity of
existing chips.
Singhal said the project is an effort “to rethink computers from
the ground up”. This means instead of a silicon chip at theheart of the
computer, “we are putting data at the center,” the researcher said.
The prototype unveiled contains 160 terabytes of memory,
capable of simultaneously working with the contents of approximately 160
million books, a task never before possible in a single unit. Singhal said
supercomputers accomplish this task by stringing together clusters of
processors, but that the new machine can handle this more efficiently within a
single unit.
HPE unveiled its first prototype last year, but in the
current version, has increased the number of computing nodes from two to 40.
Singhal said the company hopes to be able to commercialise the machine within a
few years.
He said one area where this can be useful is in health care,
where powerful computing can analyse health studies, genetics, and the
potential for personalising medical treatment. “These kinds of things can be
done a lot faster on the architecture we are talking about,” he said. “The research
still needs to be done. But for the people working in those areas, we are
giving them a more efficient tool.” He said this approach can help shorten the
time in which medicines are developed by better analysis of their effectiveness
and side effects.
“The secrets to the next great scientific breakthrough,
industry-changing innovation, or life-altering technology hide in plain sight
behind the mountains of data we create every day,” said Meg Whitman, Chief
Executive, HP Enterprise.
Source: DNA-18th May,2017
http://epaper2.dnaindia.com/index.php?pagedate=2017-5-18&edcode=820009&subcode=820009&mod=1&pgnum=2#
