Turbo computing with light saves time and energy
KIT launches optical computing test system; new technology to make AI faster and more energy-efficient
image: Rechner-Rack mit dem photonischen Prozessor am KIT. Forschende untersuchen dessen Einsatz für wissenschaftliche Berechnungen und Anwendungen der Künstlichen Intelligenz. (Foto: Cynthia Ruf, KIT)
Credit: Cynthia Ruf, KIT
In the new system, photonic processors augment traditional supercomputers. In contrast to conventional chips, they process information with light instead of electric signals, making them especially efficient at performing certain computing operations – a promising approach for artificial intelligence and other data-intensive applications.
Now KIT researchers are working to find the applications with which the optical processors can make the most of their strengths, and how they can be integrated into existing computing infrastructures as accelerators. “Access to photonic processors gives us new ways to design applications with high computing demands,” said Professor Martin Frank, Director of KIT’s Scientific Computing Center (SCC). “We’re combining classical computers, quantum computers, and light-based systems with the aim of doing each part of a job on the most suitable hardware.”
Gaining Efficiency by Combining the Strengths of Different Systems
“Hybrid solution strategies are one focus of our research. If we can distribute complex calculations efficiently over the available types of hardware, we can get faster results overall while using less energy,” added Professor Ina Schaefer from KIT’s Institute of Information Security and Dependability (KASTEL). “And we’re presenting open-source results so other researchers can benefit from them.”
Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space is funding the development of the test system with about EUR 4.3 million. The hardware was procured as part of the QuSol quantum computing project and was developed and produced by Q.ANT, a company based in Stuttgart. (mex)
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