Читать книгу Algorithms For Dummies - John Paul Mueller, John Mueller Paul, Luca Massaron - Страница 16

A math coprocessor and a GPU are two examples of common special-purpose chips in that you don’t see them used to perform tasks such as booting the system. However, algorithms often require the use of uncommon special-purpose chips to solve problems. This isn’t a hardware book, but it pays to spend time showing you all sorts of interesting chips, such as the artificial neurons that UCSD is working on (https://www.marktechpost.com/2021/06/03/ucsd-researchers-develop-an-artificial-neuron-device-that-could-reduce-energy-use-and-size-of-neural-network-hardware/). Imagine performing algorithmic processing using devices that simulate the human brain. It would create an interesting environment for performing tasks that might not otherwise be possible today.

Neural networks, a technology that is used to simulate human thought and make deep learning techniques possible for machine learning scenarios, are now benefitting from the use of specialized chips (the article at https://analyticsindiamag.com/top-10-gpus-for-deep-learning-in-2021/ outlines ten of them). These kinds of chips not only perform algorithmic processing extremely fast but also learn as they perform the tasks, making them faster still with each iteration. Learning computers will eventually power robots that can move (after a fashion) on their own, akin to the robots seen in the movie I Robot. Some robots even sport facial expressions now (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210527145244.htm).

No matter how they work, specialized processors will eventually power all sorts of algorithms that will have real-world consequences. You can already find many of these real-world applications in a relatively simple form. For example, imagine the tasks that a pizza-making robot would have to solve — the variables it would have to consider on a real-time basis. This sort of robot already exists (this is just one example of the many industrial robots used to produce material goods by employing algorithms), and you can bet that it relies on algorithms to describe what to do, as well as on special chips to ensure that the tasks are done quickly (https://www.therobotreport.com/picnic-pizza-making-robot-is-now-available/).

Eventually, it might even be possible to use the human mind as a processor and output the information through a special interface. At one point, people experimented with putting processors directly into the brain, but the latest innovation relies on the use of veins to make the connection (https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/brain-computer-interface-vein-als-stent-neuralink-b1556167.html). Imagine a system in which humans can solve problems using algorithms at the speed of computers, but with the creative “what if” potential of humans.