RAISE: The Reconfigurable Optical Computer (ROC)

正如所谓的摩尔定律所指出的那样，观察处理器速度和晶体管数量每18-24个月翻一番的时代被认为已经结束，因为相关的功耗增加和技术物理限制。然而，计算机及其应用一直是现代生活的支柱，而且将以更高的速度继续如此。由于需要处理的数据量增加，对提高计算能力的需求将继续上升。此外，对更高精度的需求也将继续增长，以支持对科学发现和工程突破的日益增长的需求，随着我们迈向更智能的城市和更智能的世界，对更小、更节能的计算设备的需求也在迅速增长。因此，必须寻找速度更快、体积更小、能效更高的改变游戏规则的计算设备，而不是目前似乎正在接近令人望而生畏的物理限制的数字计算机技术。这项提案介绍了一种基于模拟计算、可重构计算体系结构、纳米光子学和材料科学进展的变革性计算设备。这种新的计算设备被称为可重构光学计算机(ROC)，旨在实现处理技术的飞跃，并为未来的持续发展打开大门。这种可重构光学处理器(ROC)能够通过一次求解用于科学和工程中大多数模拟的偏微分方程(PDE)来执行脱离第一原理的计算，而不是像数字计算机那样迭代。这样的偏微分方程组可以使用电子元件网络来实现和直接解决。这些电路部件将使用被称为可重构光学元件(ROE)的可编程纳米光子器件来实现。ROE可以在电偏压下改变其光学特性，代表不同的成分，适合于解决不同的问题。ROE是一种利用电光效应(即调制)和光吸收(即光检测)来模拟电路元件的新型电压可编程光子元件。该方法包括ROE设计的风险疲劳型策略(从低到高)。将探索支持编程/重配置存储单元和使能电子设备，以形成集成的可重配置体系结构--可重配置光学计算机(ROC)。还将研究包括这种新范例的编程和执行模块在内的适当软件堆栈，以便为领域用户提供一个富有成效的平台。如果成功，与现代最先进的处理器相比，ROC系统可能在速度、能源消耗和占地面积方面实现数量级的改进，并可能简化软件，对从电子工业到智能生活的许多领域产生重大影响。

The era of observing processor speed and number of transistors doubling every 18-24 months, as noted in the so-called Moore's law is believed to be over, due to the associated increase in power consumption and technology physical limitations. Computers and their applications, however, have been the backbone of modern life and will continue to be so at even a higher rate. The demands for increased computing capabilities will continue to be on the rise due to the increase in data volumes that need to be processed. Further, the increase in demand for higher accuracy will also continue in order to support the rising needs for scientific discoveries and engineering breakthroughs, and the demand for smaller and more energy efficient computing devices is also rapidly growing as we move towards smarter cities and a smarter world. It is therefore imperative to search for game changing computing devices that are orders of magnitude faster, smaller and more energy efficient as opposed to the current digital computer technology that seem to be approaching daunting physical limitations. This proposal introduces a transformative computing device based on analog computing, reconfigurable computing architectures, nanophotonics, and the advances in material science. This new computing device, which is referred to as the reconfigurable optical computer (ROC), aims to achieve a leap forward in processing technology in addition to opening the doors for continued future developments.This reconfigurable optical processor (ROC) that is capable of performing computations out of first principle by solving those partial differential equations (PDEs) that are used for most simulations in science and engineering in one shot, rather than iteratively as in digital computers. Such PDEs can be realized and directly solved using a network of electric components. Those electric circuit components will be implemented using programmable nanophotonic devices, referred to as the reconfigurable optical elements (ROEs). ROEs can change their optical characteristics under electrical bias to represent different components suitable for solving different problems. ROEs are novel voltage programmable photonic components utilizing electro-optic effects (i.e. modulation) and optical absorption (i.e. photodetection) to mimic electrical circuit elements. The approach includes a risk-tired strategy for ROE design (low-to-high). Supporting programming/reconfiguration memory cells and enabling electronic devices will be explored to form an integrated reconfigurable architecture, the Reconfigurable Optical Computer (ROC). An appropriate software stack including programming and execution modules for such new paradigm will be also investigated to provide a productive platform for domain users. If successful, the ROC system can potentially achieve orders of magnitude improvements in speed, energy consumption and footprint as compared to the modern state-of-the-art processors and potentially simplify software, providing substantial impacts on many domains from the electronic industry to smart life.