Haha, step by step, let’s first understand the computer type! !
New computers
Some of the new computers that are emerging now include: biological computers, photon computers, quantum computers, etc.
1. Bionic biological computers
The main raw material of biological computers is protein molecules produced by bioengineering technology, which are used as biochips to store data using organic compounds. In this kind of chip, information is propagated in the form of waves. When the waves propagate along the protein molecular chain, it will cause changes in the structural order of single bonds and double bonds in the protein molecular chain. For example, a series of waves propagates to a certain part of the molecular chain. , they carry information just like carriers in silicon chip integrated circuits. The computing speed is 100,000 times faster than today's latest generation computers. It has strong anti-electromagnetic interference capabilities and can completely eliminate interference between circuits. The energy consumption is only one billionth of that of an ordinary computer and it has huge storage capacity. Because protein molecules can self-assemble and regenerate new microcircuits, biological computers have some characteristics of living organisms, such as being able to exert the biological regulatory functions, automatically repair failures that occur on the chip, and imitate the mechanisms of the human brain.
The advantages of biological computers are very tempting. Now many scientists in the world are developing them. Many scientists believe that compared to the vacuum tubes 50 years ago, who would have thought that today's electronic computers would be popular all over the world. ; The current biological computer is being quietly developed. One day, when it appears on the scientific and technological stage, it may be possible to completely realize the fuzzy processing function of the human right brain and the neural network processing function of the entire brain that cannot be achieved by existing computers.
2. Binary nonlinear quantum computer
According to Isaac and Zhang, scientists from IBM, a quantum computer is a type of information processing that uses the quantum characteristics of atoms. A completely new concept of computer. Quantum theory believes that under non-interaction, atoms are in two states at any time, which is called quantum superstate. Atoms will rotate, that is, spin in both directions up and down at the same time, which is exactly consistent with the 0 and 1 of electronic computers. If a group of atoms are brought together, they will not perform linear operations like electronic computers, but perform all possible operations at the same time. For example, when a quantum computer processes data, it does not perform it step by step but completes it simultaneously. As long as 40 atoms are calculated together, it is equivalent to the performance of a supercomputer today. A quantum computer uses atoms in a quantum state as the central processor and memory. Its computing speed may be 1 billion times faster than the current Pentium 4 chip. It is like an information rocket that searches the entire Internet in an instant and can easily crack any security password. , the hacking task is easy, no wonder the CIA is particularly interested in it.
3. Photon computer
In early 1990, Bell Labs in the United States built the world's first photonic computer.
Photon computer is a new type of computer that uses light signals to perform digital operations, logical operations, information storage and processing. The basic component of a photonic computer is an integrated optical circuit, which includes lasers, lenses and nuclear mirrors.
Since photons are faster than electrons, photonic computers can run up to a trillion times. Its storage capacity is tens of thousands of times that of modern computers, and it can also recognize and synthesize language, graphics and gestures.
At present, many countries have invested heavily in research on photonic computers. With the combination of modern optics, computer technology, and microelectronics technology, photonic computers will become a common tool for mankind in the near future.
Compared with electronic computers, photonic computers have the following main advantages:
(1) Ultra-high-speed computing speed. Photonic computers have strong parallel processing capabilities and therefore have higher computing speeds.
The propagation speed of electrons is 593km/s, while the propagation speed of photons reaches 3×10?5km/s. For electronic computers, electrons are the carrier of information. They can only be conducted through some mutually insulated wires. Even in Under the best circumstances, the speed of electrons in solids is far slower than the speed of light. Although the computing speed of current electronic computers continues to increase, its capability limit is still limited; in addition, as the assembly density continues to increase, it will The electromagnetic interaction between conductors continues to increase, and the heat emitted is also gradually increasing, thus restricting the operating speed of electronic computers; photonic computers operate much faster than electronic computers, and their requirements for environmental conditions are also higher than those of electronic computers. Much lower.
(2) Ultra-large information storage capacity. Compared with electronic computers, photonic computers have ultra-large information storage capacity. Photonic computers have an extremely ideal light radiation source - lasers. The conduction of photons does not require wires, and even if they intersect, there will be no interaction between them. The density of the parallel channels through which photonic computers transmit information without wires is actually infinite. A mirror the size of a nickel can carry information many times as much as the existing telephone cable channels around the world.
(3) It consumes little energy and dissipates low heat. It is an energy-saving product. The drive of a photonic computer only requires a small part of the drive energy of an electronic computer of similar specifications. This not only reduces the power consumption and greatly reduces the heat emitted by the machine, but also provides convenience for the miniaturization and portability of photonic computers. condition. Scientists are experimenting with combining traditional electronic converters with photons to create a "hybrid" computer that can process information faster while overcoming the internal overheating problems of giant electronic computers.
At present, many key technologies of photonic computers, such as optical storage technology, optical interconnection technology, optoelectronic integrated circuits, etc., have achieved breakthroughs. Maximizing the computing power of photonic computers is what current scientific research is facing. tackle key issues. The advent and further development and improvement of photonic computers will provide infinite power for mankind to move towards a better tomorrow.
Hybrid computer
Hybrid computer is a computer system that can process digital information and simulate physical quantities. Hybrid computers connect digital computers and analog computers together through digital-to-analog converters and analog-to-digital converters to form a complete hybrid computer system. Hybrid computers generally consist of three parts: digital computers, analog computers, and hybrid interfaces. The analog computer part is responsible for fast calculations, while the digital computer part is responsible for high-precision operations and data processing. Hybrid computers have the characteristics of both digital computers and analog computers: fast computing speed, high calculation accuracy, strong logic and storage capabilities, large storage capacity and strong simulation capabilities. With the continuous development of electronic technology, hybrid computers are mainly used in real-time complex large systems such as aerospace and missile systems.
When operating on a hybrid computer, analog variables from the analog computer are converted into digital variables via an analog-to-digital converter and sent to the digital computer. At the same time, the digital variables from the digital computer are converted into analog signals through the digital-to-analog converter and sent to the analog computer. In addition to the conversion and transmission of calculation variables, there is also the transmission of logic signals and control signals. Analog computers used to perform parallel operations and digital computers used for serial operations are synchronized in time. Every time the digital computer completes a frame of calculation, it exchanges information with the analog computer and corrects the data once. During the time interval (frame) between the two information exchanges, both computers use the calculation result of the previous frame as the initial value to perform calculations. This time interval is called the frame synchronization time. The design of hybrid programs requires users to consider the distribution of models on different computers, the choice of frame synchronization time, and the understanding of the hardware characteristics of the connected system.
Modern hybrid computers have developed into hybrid multiprocessor systems with the ability to automatically orchestrate simulation programs. It includes an ultra-small computer, one or two peripheral array processors, and several analog processors with automatic programming capabilities; between various processors, a hybrid intelligent interface is used to complete the conversion and transmission of data and control signals. This system has strong real-time simulation capabilities, but is expensive.
Intelligent computers
Intelligent computers (intelligent computers) have no generally accepted definition so far. A. Turing, one of the founders of computing theory, defined computers as digital computers that process discrete amounts of information. There are diametrically opposed views on the principle issue of whether digital computers can simulate human intelligence. In 1937, A. Church and Turing independently proposed the hypothesis that human thinking ability is equivalent to the ability of recursive functions. This unproven hypothesis was later expressed by some artificial intelligence scholars as: If a problem that can be submitted to a Turing machine cannot be solved by a Turing machine, then the problem cannot be solved by human thinking. This school of thought inherits the philosophical tradition of rationalism and reductionism, which is dominated by logical thinking, and emphasizes the great potential of digital computers to simulate human thinking. Other scholars, such as H. Dreyfus and other philosophers, firmly believe that digital computers based on Turing machines cannot simulate human intelligence. They believe that digital computers can only do formal information processing, but human intellectual activities may not necessarily be formalized, nor may they be information processing. Human intelligence cannot be regarded as governed by discrete, deterministic rules that have nothing to do with environmental situations. operation. In principle, this school of thought does not deny the possibility of constructing an intelligent machine with materials close to the human brain, but this broad intelligent machine is different from a digital computer. Some scholars believe that no machine can simulate human intelligence, but more scholars believe that most activities in the brain can be analyzed using symbols and calculations. It must be pointed out that people's understanding of computing is constantly deepening and broadening. Some scholars regard all physical processes that can be realized as computational processes. Genes can also be viewed as switches, and the operations of a cell can also be explained using calculations, the so-called molecular computing. In this sense, the broad category of intelligent computers is almost the same as intelligent machines or smart machines.
Single-chip computer
Single-chip computer refers to a microcomputer in which the main components of the computer are made on an integrated chip. Single-chip computers are also called single-chip computers or microcontrollers. Starting in the 1970s, 4-bit single-chip computers and 8-bit single-chip computers appeared. In the 1980s, 16-bit single-chip computers appeared, and their performance was greatly improved. 20 In the 1990s, 32-bit microcontrollers and microcontrollers using FLASH storage appeared. Due to the high degree of integration of single-chip computers, single-chip computers have the advantages of small size, low power consumption, strong control functions, flexible expansion, miniaturization and ease of use. They are widely used in the manufacturing of intelligent instruments and applications through the construction of application systems. Industrial control, manufacturing of household smart appliances, use of network communication equipment and medical and health industries.