Advanced Computing Hardware

1
Advanced Computing Hardware

• Phil Hillyard
• April 23th 2003

2
Introduction

• Current Computers
• Silicon Chips
• Data stored as a series of Bits using Boolean
  Logic
• Speed
• Storage Capability

3
Introduction Cont.

• Issue
• Network Communications
• Growth of Internet Demands faster speeds
• Stronger more demanding applications
• Moores Law

4
Introduction Cont.

• Some Advanced Solutions
• Holographic Storage
• Solid State Storage
• Protonic Memory
• Molecular Switches
• Quantum Computers
• Nano Computers
• DNA Computers
• http//web.ukonline.co.uk/p.boughton/hardware.htm

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Holographic Storage - Background

• Background
• Holographic Imaging discovered in 1947 by
  Hungarian Physicist
• Original Theory was to improve electron
  microscopes
• Holographic images on toys, credit cards,
  magazine covers, art, etc.

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Holographic Storage- How it works

• Recording
• Two laser beams used (Signal and Reference)
• Data encoded on signal beam via Spatial Light
  Modulator
• Second beam interfaces with reference beam
  through the volume of photosensitive recording
  medium
• Reading
• Reference beam used to diffract off recorded
  gratings reconstructing stored array

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Holographic Storage - Benefits

• High Storage Densities
• One Million bits of information can be read
  in/out in single flashes of light
• Can read an entire page of data in one operation
• CAPACITY CHART
• Size
• Fit 100 movies in palm of hand
• Fast Data Transfer Rates
• More Robust against dust, smudges, and light

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Holographic Storage- How it works

• http//www.inphase-technologies.com/technology/

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Holographic Storage- How it works
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Holographic Storage - Status

• Past lack of suitable components, complexity, and
  absence of recording materials slowed growth and
  research
• Optical storage components such as DVD have
  helped to remove this barrier
• Biggest challenge now is devising suitable
  optical medium for storing interference patterns
• Researchers have built prototype from off the
  counter components such as camera lenses and
  digital micro-mirrors

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Holographic Storage - Players

• Aprilis Technologies
• Write Once Read Many (WORM) holographic storage
• 120 MM Disc
• 50 x 50 MM Card
• Can support up to 200 GB Storage
• Can Support up to 200 MBS/s transfer
• Stores data in thousands of bits rather than
  single bit at time (as in magnetic storage)
• Primary market is Data Archival

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Holographic Storage - Players

• Polight Technologies
• CD sized disc can hold 500 GB to 1 TB
• Read/Write at over 1 GB/s
• InPhase
• Working with Hitachi
• Uses Red and Blue lasers developed for DVDs
• Optware
• Working with Intel
• Goal is 1 TB capacity and similar transfer speed
• Uses existing CD and DVD media

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Solid State Storage

• External Memory System that provides instant
  access to data storage
• Combines Random Access speed of main memory with
  persistence of external disc-transforming
  general-purpose platforms into powerful
  transaction server platforms
• Replace Flash Memory (limited to 105 Write
  cycles)
• Alternative to rotation disk or tape

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Solid State Storage - Player

• Omni Dimensional Systems
• Goal is 2 GB Solid State memory
• Integrate thin film transistors and biodes onto
  substrates from flexible foil
• Intent is to replace thin film electrodes from
  slow unreliable mechanical parts in optical
  drives
• Combine solid state memory with special encoding
  technique to pack 3 times normal amt. of info

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Solid State Storage - Autosophy theory

• Enables graphical data to be compressed
• Uses associative memories to do real time
  look-ups
• In telecommunications only transmits data once
• Second time only address of information sent
• First time image is sent, there is no savings
• With pre-made associative ROMs installed in
  TVs, perfect error corrected digital HDTV sized
  images could be sent over ordinary TV channels

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Protonic Memory - How it works

• How it Works
• Positive low voltage applied to one side of
  silicon repels the protons to the far side of
  Silicon Dioxide
• Negative low voltage applied to the other side of
  silicon attracts the protons to the near side
• When turned off, the protons remain where they
  were thus preserving the data
• Player
• Sandia National Labs and France Telecom

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Protonic Memory

• Goal is to create circuits that retain data when
  power is interrupted
• Current only other option is Flash Memory
• Requires 12 to 15 volts (high demands on
  batteries)
• Inexpensive, low-powered, easily fabricated
• Costs less, requires significantly less power
  then Flash Memory
• Process to make, only requires a few extra steps
  from current microchip process

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Protonic Memory
19
Molecular Switches

• Molecules are 1 Million times smaller then
  typical silicon transistors
• Costs several thousand times less then
  traditional solid state memory
• Offers promise of continual miniaturization
• increased computing power
• Leapfrogging limits of silicon
• Future estimates cold be 100 Billion times faster
  than todays computer

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Molecular Switches - How it works

• Voltage applied to 30 nanometer wide assembled
  array of molecules
• Current only flows in 1 direction
• Change voltage to turn switch on or off thus
  making the switch reversible

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Molecular Switches - Status

• Current switches are not reversible (some
  published reports of a few reversable)
• UCLA research
• Attached molecular switches on grid 50 nanometers
  wide
• Only has 16 Bit Memory Circuit
• Uses traditional wiring
• Goal one day to be on Carbon Nanotubes
• Hybrid molecular and silicon based computers
  could be available in 5 to 10 years

22
Quantum Computer

• Idea derived in late 1970s
• Speed
• Simultaneously carry out a number of computations
  equal to two to the power of the number of input
  bits
• A mere 30 Qbit computer would equal the
  processing power of a conventional computer
  running at 10 teraflops per second
• Usage
• Factoring large numbers
• Encryption/Decryption

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Quantum Computer - How it works

• Fundamental unit of formation
• Quantum Bit/Qbit
• Quaternary instead of Binary
• Exploits principles of quantum mechanics to
  achieve massively parallel processing
• Loosely speaking allows one to enter all possible
  inputs at once and perform all computations at
  once
• Quantum systems can exist in two incompatible
  states at once (Condition known as Superposition)
• We can never actually see a superposition

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Quantum Computer - Issues

• Error Correction
• Need to correct errors created as result of
  Decoherence
• Decoherence
• Tendency of quantum computer to decay from
  quantum into incoherent state as it interacts
  with environment
• Induce break-down of information storage
• Hardware Architecture
• Devices capable of quantum computing need to be
  constructed (very large and complex)
• NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (most popular)
• Ion Traps (limited in speed)
• Quantum Electrodynamics

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Quantum Computer - Status

• Currently in Pioneering stage
• Five to Seven bit computers built
• Quantum Hardware remains an emerging field with
  limited progress being made
• Progress being made in error correction to the
  point where they may be robust enough to
  adequately withstand effects of decoherence
• Estimated to be available in 50 years

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Quantum Computer - Major Players

• IBM - Research Center
• Developed 5 qubit computer
• Allowed Nuclei of 5 atoms to interact with each
  other
• programmed by radio-frequency pulses
• Detected wih NMR (Similar to Hospital MRI)
• Solved order finding problem in one step that
  would take conventional computer repeated cycles
  to solve
• Los Alamos Natural Laboratory
• Developed 7 Qbit computer
• Uses NMR to manipulate particles in atomic nuclei

27
Nano Computer

• Theory first suggested by Richard Feynman in 1959
• Similar to current Micro Computers but function
  at atomic level
• No need to reinvent computer designs
• Nano transistors are feasible today
• Slight drawback
• If molecular machine goes haywire, instead of
  building molecules, it starts destroying them
  the world would quite literally fall apart

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Nano Computer - How it works

• No one quite sure how to build one
• Rod Logic Theory
• Uses stiff rods made from carbon atom chains
• Each rod can slide between two positions reset by
  spring made of another few atoms
• Massive calculations still required to determine
  if particular calculations even possible
• These calculations are being performed using
  meta-computing which uses several PCs to perform
  a tiny part of the overall calculation

29
Nano Computer - Status

• In 1989 Scientists at IBM used electron
  microscope to shuffle 35 Xenon atoms into shape
  of their logo
• Nono Computer Dream Team
• 300 enthusiasts with backgrounds in engineering,
  physics, chemistry, programming, and AI research
• Entire team has never met and probably never will
• Communicate via E-mail and pool ideas on Web
• Nov 1, 2011 believe they will unveil computer
  made of atoms

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DNA Computer

• 1994 Leonard Adleman introduced idea of DNA
  computer
• Wrote paper of how to solve order finding problem
  using DNA computer
• Uses Parallel calculations

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DNA Computer - Advantages

• Ample supply
• Size
• Teardrop sized DNA computer would be more
  powerful than the worlds most powerful super
  computer
• Clean
• Storage
• Capable of storing billions of times more data
  then current computers

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DNA Computer - Status

• DNA Molecules already harnessed to perform
  complex mathematical problems
• Very slow
• Requires Human assistance
• First DNA computers unlikely to feature word
  processing, e-mail, etc

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Others

• Optical Computers
• Very Long Instruction Word Processors (VLIW)
• Electronic Digital Paper
• Plastic Displays
• Roentgen Display Technology
• Augmented Reality

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Conclusion/Summary

• Internet growth
• Moores Law
• Advanced computing hardware options
• Question?
• Will we reach maximum capacity needs in the short
  run or the long run at any point in the future?
• If so, what could be the ramifications

35
Sources

• Holographic Storage Technologies
• http//www.inphase-technologies.com/technology/
• http//www.aprilisinc.com/October_8_2002_Aprilis_U
  nveils_First_Viable_Holographic_Storage_Media.pdf
• http//radio.weblogs.com/0105910/2002/10/22.html
• http//www.wtec.org/loyola/opto/c3_s5.htm
• Solid State Memory Storage Technologies
• http//www.mod.uk/issues/dstis4/solidstate.htm
• http//www.mmislueck.com/recording.htm
• http//www.soliddata.com/company/technology.html

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Sources

• Protonic Memory
• http//www.spie.org/web/oer/june/jun97/protonic.ht
  ml
• http//www.sandia.gov/LabNews/LN06-19-98/discover_
  story.html
• http//www.sandia.gov/media/protonic.htm
• http//www.industryweek.com/CurrentArticles/asp/ar
  ticles.asp?ArticleID488
• http//www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/1997-04/SNL
  -PCMR-090497.php

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Sources

• Molecular Switches
• http//www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?doc
  ument_id2444
• http//stm1.chem.psu.edu/zjd/Switches.html
• http//abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/n
  anocomputer990715.html
• http//stm1.chem.psu.edu/psw/news/SciJSp02Switche
  s.html
• Quantum Computers
• http//www.cs.caltech.edu/westside/quantum-intro.
  html
• http//www.informatics.bangor.ac.uk/schmuel/comp/
  comp.html
• http//www.nature.com/nsu/010503/010503-6.html
• http//computer.howstuffworks.com/quantum-computer
  .htm

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Sources

• Nano Computers
• http//www.wildirisdesign.com/nano/nanocomputing.h
  tml
• http//www.glencoe.com/norton/n-instructor-/update
  s/1999/32399-7.html
• http//computer.howstuffworks.com/dna-computer.htm
  
• Optical Computers
• http//abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/phot
  ons990521.html
• http//abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/c
  uttingedge010302.html
• http//science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/msad18ma
  y99_1.htm
• http//www.tqc.iu.edu/News/Nolte_optical_computers
  .htm