An Architecture for Performing Complex Evaluations

许多难题需要分析大量的子问题，然后将结果结合起来，形成一个整体的解决方案。解决方案的质量取决于分析完成得有多好和多快。在国际象棋领域中，一种快速有效的分析方法已经被描述，并在Hitech国际象棋机器中实现了一个原型。Hitech在计算机国际象棋方面已经超越了之前所有的努力，超过了150分，已经在有限的问题领域证明了这种方法的力量。然而，这种评价方法在其他问题领域的适用性仍然是一个悬而未决的问题。这项研究的重点是更好地理解这种架构在人工智能中其他问题的能力和通用性，以及它的工具开发，这些工具可以为其他问题构建这种硬件的新实例。第一个目标是通过在许多有前景的问题领域中执行案例研究并基于此体系结构提出解决方案来实现。与此同时，一款通用的评估芯片正在设计和实施中，它将以Hitech为目标，但将包括任何评估芯片的通用功能。研究的第二阶段是采用在一个案例研究中提出的解决方案，并使用在设计第一个评估芯片期间开发的工具构建原型。该项目的重点是将在一个问题领域有效的问题解决方法推广到更广泛的问题类别，并评估其在这些新领域的有效性。该方法将这种强大的解决方案方法与现代VLSI技术相结合，以产生独特的问题解决能力。

Many difficult problems require the analysis of a large number of subproblems and the subsequent combining of the results to form an overall solution. The quality of the solution depends both on how well and how fast this analysis is done. A fast and effective method for performing such analyses in the domain of chess has been described and a prototype implemented in the Hitech chess machine. Hitech, which has surpassed all previous efforts in computer chess by more than 150 rating points, has demonstrated the power of this method in a limited problem domain. However, there remains the open question about the applicability of this evaluation method to other problem areas. The focus of this research is to better understand the power and generality of this architecture with respect to other problems in Artificial Intelligence and on its development of the tools with which new instances of this hardware can be built for other problems. The first goal is being pursued by performing case studies in a number of promising problem areas and proposing solutions based on this architecture. At the same time a general evaluation chip is being designed and implemented that will be targeted for Hitech, but will include the features common to any evaluation chip. The second phase of the research is taking a solution proposed in one of the case studies and constructing a prototype using the tools developed during the design of the first evaluation chip. The project focuses on generalizing a problem solution approach found effective in one problem area to a broader class of problems and evaluating its effectiveness in these new areas. The approach combines this powerful solution approach with modern VLSI technology to produce a unique problem solution capability.