Processors in computers work through logical sentences, which operate a binary operation, namely 1 and 0. This logical operation is carried out in traditional computer processors’ electronic, and electrical circuits.
But researchers have discovered a way to run these logical sentences based on light, which is a million times faster than the traditional electronic method.
This was revealed by a study conducted at Aalto University (AALTO) in Finland.
Computing needs of the next generation
In order to meet next-generation data processing needs, such as evaluating an AI dataset and identifying sources of algorithmic inference, logical sentences in computing must run faster.
The need for this development to speed up processing times stems from the massive increase in data sets from the Internet of Things. The ever-increasing amounts of data from sensor sources and the algorithms involved in collecting, evaluating, and then making inferences from the data require computational speeds many times faster than current ones.
New visual logic operating mechanisms
Designed and developed by a team of Aalto University scientists, the new optical logic mechanisms run about a million times faster than previous logic gates.
This extremely fast processing uses circularly polarized light instead of an electrical signal, largely relying on the use of a circularly polarized beam, through a light beam-sensitive crystalline material.
The direction of bending of the light ray is determined by the shape of the crystal through which it passes. Thus, it bends either to one side or the other, either to the right or to the left, which is equivalent to the electrical signal 0 or 1 in conventional computers, but at a much faster speed.
