HP works in its laboratories, a radically different computer system than current architectures, under the heading of The Machine. The group combines this techniques which in recent years has developed, such as memristors and optical data communication.
The goal of HP is to the new computer architecture an alternative to all existing systems. “We don’t want a server, workstation, pc, device or phone call because it is in fact all that stuff,” writes the manufacturer.
The basis of the system is the memristor: this is a resistor with memory, which for decades as a promise given to the computer industry to change. HP already had a working concept in 2008. A memristor is composed of a microscopically thin semiconductor of titanium dioxide and two layers of platinum. The resistance of a memristor depends on the voltage and storage devices can values also remember as the voltage drops.
That shot of memristors by HP Labs
They are a combination of work – and storage memory, and can potentially put an end to the disadvantages of, for example, the slow storage. Also consume significantly less power and they bring great allows memory configurations within reach. Experts are however, skeptical about the feasibility of the production and use of memristors.
Another feature of The Machine is the use of optical interconnects. This replaced the use of copper for interconnects in computer components and have significant snelheidswinsten. Not only the connection with memory and input/output components can be as optically expired, HP is also working already for years on a chip whose cores can communicate with each other at a rate of 20 terabytes per second.
To make use of the new parts is a completely different operating system, which HP a opensourceproject under the name Machine OS to work. In addition, the group of Linux-variants, and Android on the system should be able to run.
HP estimates that the system at the earliest in 2017 may appear, but it would also be only around 2020 or not at all can be finalized. “We may be on our face, but we have no choice”, says Martin Fink, cto of HP Labs, at BusinessWeek. HP has been working for two years on the project, 75 percent of staff of HP Labs, on set, and considers it a great opportunity for the future, because there are only a few parties would have a cover in regards to computer architecture.
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