Brain-like computer of the future powered by blood
Forget power cables, computers of the future could draw their power from blood – computer blood. IBM scientists are testing out a new model for computing.
In fact, a fluid that could carry electric charge and cool a computer at the same time.
Making computers more like the human brain has been a major avenue of research for the chip and computer services giant IBM, as it attempts to maintain the pace of change that has seen computers shrink from room-size to pocket-size in decades.
Big challenges for future computers include cooling. As processors crunch more data, they use more energy and generate more heat.
In current computer design, manufacturers have to separate out chips so air can circulate round to cool them, and the griddled layout needed for that hugely increases the volume of the computer.
One idea for circumventing the problem comes from the brain. Two scientists at IBM have developed a rough prototype of a computer where chips tightly stacked on top of each other are washed by an electrolyte.
The fluid takes away heat while bringing in electricity, as blood brings in sugar and takes away heat in the brain.
Dr Bruno Michel and Dr Patrick Ruch of the IBM Zurich lab created the blood computer. Dr Michel told the BBC: “Ninety-nine per cent of a computer’s volume is devoted to cooling and powering. Only 1 per cent is used to process information. And we think we’ve built a good computer?”
“The brain uses 40 per cent of its volume for functional performance – and only 10% for energy and cooling.”
Reducing heat waste reduces the amount of energy needed too – making the new type of “blood computer” more energy efficient.
One hitch in the model is that a separate container is required for the electrolyte fluid to pick up charge from electrodes. But it’s a design principle that IBM are interested in pursuing as several companies race to produce the next generation of more powerful computers.
IBM is using the brain for inspiration for other computer products. That includes new interfaces and recently – software that helps doctors make decisions by organising and then analysing information in the way a human mind does.