Desktop-sized laser supercomputers could be coming by 2020

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/08/desktop-sized-laser-supercomputers-could-be-coming-by-2020/

Small, eco-friendly optical supercomputers may soon be crunching quadrillions of calculations per second (exaflops) if a company called Optalysys has its way. It claims to be months away from demonstrating a prototype optical computer that will run at 346 gigaflops to start with -- not as fast as the best supercomputers, but pretty good for a proof-of-concept. Here's how it works: low-intensity lasers are beamed through layers of liquid crystal grids, which change the light intensity based on user inputted data. The resulting interference patterns can be used to solve mathematical equations and perform other tasks. By splitting the beam through multiple grids, the system can compute in parallel much more efficiently than standard multi-processing supercomputers (as shown in the charming Heinz Wolff-hosted video below).

It also uses very low amounts of power, with exascale-level systems capable of running for mere thousands of dollars a year, compared to millions a year for the Tinanhe-2, the current supercomputer champ. After launching the prototype system, the company plans to build two products: a "big data" optical co-processor that can work with existing supercomputers, and a standalone optical solver supercomputer. It expects the latter to launch as a product in 2017 at 9 petflops, with up to 17.1 exaflops (17,100 petaflops) by 2020. By way of contrast, the Tianhe-2 does about 34 petaflops. It all sounds pretty pie-in-the-sky at this point, but we should have a better idea of the feasibility when the prototype arrives in January.

Filed under: Desktops, Science, Alt

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Via: HPC Wire

Source: Optalysys

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Experts Say This Dodge Supercar Is Almost Unhackable

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/dodge-viper-almost-unhackable-2014-8

Chrysler got some bad news and some good news this week, as far as cybersecurity in cars is concerned.

First the bad: A research report concluded that the 2014 Jeep Cherokee is among the "most hackable" vehicles in the market.

Now the good: The 2014 Dodge Viper is among the least hackable.

You've probably seen a Cherokee or two on the highways and byways of your daily life. But chances are you haven't spotted all that many Vipers. The 640hp all-American supercar is Chrysler's answer to not just General Motors' Corvette, but to European brands such as Ferrari and Lamborghini.

According to Reuters, the authors of the study — Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek — "cautioned that since they had not actually attempted to hack the cars, the ones designated 'most hackable' might actually be quite secure," and that they "released their assessments of 'hackability' to create what they say they believe is the first general benchmarks that consumers could use to compare the cybersecurity of vehicles."

So let's say you want Chrysler's least hackable car. A 2014 Viper will set you back $102,000.

 

SEE ALSO: The New Dodge Viper Is Built To Be A Beast On The Track

SEE ALSO: High-Speed Video Shows How The Viper Gets Made In Detroit

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Roving Robots Can Look Through Buildings Using Nothing But Wi-Fi

Source: http://gizmodo.com/roving-robots-can-see-inside-buildings-using-nothing-bu-1617778653

Previously, we've seen researchers use everyday Wi-Fi signals like radar , able to detect shapes through a door or wall. Well, here's the logical next step toward the robot overthrow: Putting that tech on top of wheeled robots. You can run (okay, walk), but hiding behind a brick wall is futile.

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Sony joins Samsung and LG with its first curved 4K TVs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/07/sony-s90-4k-curved-ultrahdtv/

Sony's just announced its first large, curved 4K HDTVs, but is doing things a bit differently from its competitors. The new 65- and 75-inch S90 models have less curve than Samsung or LG's offerings, because Sony says that gives better viewing angles and a more immersive experience. Otherwise, they're packed with the kind of tech you'd expect: an UltraHD Triluminos display with "X-tended dynamic range" for better blacks, active 3D, advanced 4K-to-HD upscaling and angled speakers and subwoofers with 4.2 surround sound. Sony's also baked in social viewing, live football mode for instant tweeting and photo sharing. There's still no pricing, but Samsung's curved 65-inch 4K model is $5,000, and its 78-inch model is $8,000 -- despite Sony's smaller curve, we'd expect at least that.

Update: Just for reference, in China, Sony is offering the 65-inch version for 32,999 yuan or about $5,360, and the 75-inch version for 49,999 yuan or about $8,110. Fret not, chances are these will be cheaper when they land in the US.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Sony

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Via: Pocket Lint

Source: Sony

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IBM's new supercomputing chip mimics the human brain with very little power

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/07/ibm-synapse-supercomputing-chip-mimics-human-brain/

A lot has changed in the three years since IBM first unveiled a prototype of its human brain-inspired SyNAPSE (Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics) chip. That single-core prototype has now been significantly scaled up, leading to a new, production-ready SyNAPSE chip that blows past its predecessor with 1 million neurons, 256 million synapses and 4,096 neurosynaptic cores, all the while only requiring 70mW of power. Though the numbers are impressive, it's what they translate to that holds even greater prominence: the ability for devices to process various sensory data in parallel just like the human brain, by merging memory and computing.

Traditionally, faster processing has always meant greater power consumption, but IBM's new SyNAPSE chip flips that paradigm on its head. To give you some perspective of just how low-powered this supercomputing chip is, IBM's Chief Scientist Dr. Dharmendra S. Modha says it requires power equivalent to that of a battery from a hearing aid. It's an achievement that's merited IBM the cover of the journal Science; it also has the potential to drastically alter conventional approaches to computing. In fact, the new SyNAPSE chip is so disruptive to the current computing landscape that IBM's created a new programming language to go along with it and an educational outreach program called SyNAPSE University. It's no wonder why the project received $53 million in funding from DARPA.

IBM's Chief Scientist Dr. Dharmendra S. Modha says [the new SyNAPSE chip] requires power equivalent to that of a battery from a hearing aid.

IBM hasn't publicly announced any partnerships to leverage its new SyNAPSE chip yet, though discussions are surely taking place. Currently, the company's been able to build a programmable, working board with 16 of these chips working in concert -- that represents 16 million neurons capable of processing instructions that, Modha says, would traditionally be carried out by "racks and racks of conventional computers." Again, this is all done at an extremely low-powered state, which means the chips produce way less heat. It's not hard to imagine some of the immediate benefits this could bring to consumers: for instance, laptops that don't burn your lap; or even mobile phones that run for days and can process extreme amounts of environmental data.

But Modha sums up the magnitude of IBM's new SyNAPSE chip best with this simple analogy: "You can carry our board in your backpack. You can't carry four racks of conventional computers in your backpack."

[Image credit: IBM]

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