• Health
  • Science
  • U.S.
  • Technology
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Sports

Building a Better World

News and information

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Our Team

Biological supercomputer creates stunning gains in efficiency

February 29, 2016 By Sam Catherman

Biological supercomputer creates stunning gains in efficiency

Scientists drew inspiration from the body's power plants to create a stunningly energy efficient supercomputer.

As we reported earlier, a team of scientists from McGill University in Montreal has laid out a process for creating a ‘biological supercomputer’ using the very same mechanisms the cells in our body use to operate. According to a report from RT, the development could to stunning improvements in energy efficiency compared to traditional supercomputers.

The biggest problem with present-day supercomputers is their insatiable appetite for energy – many larger systems even require their own power plant to achieve a reasonable level of energy efficiency. The heat alone generated by most supercomputers is a problem, often requiring a built-in cooling system that consumes even more energy.

In light of this problem, the McGill team came up with a clever idea. Drawing inspiration from biological processes, they figured out that they could use Adenosine triphosphate, one of the key drivers of energy transfer in the body’s cells.

Scientists developed a computer chip that measures just 1.5 cm, with a complex network of channels that can execute staggeringly complex calculations like a traditional supercomputer would. Instead of electrons propelled by an electrical charge, however, short protein strings, referred to in the study as biological agents, carry messages around the chip – and it’s all powered by ATP.

The new chip generates a tiny fraction of the heat an electrical circuit would, meaning that the model-biological supercomputer would require significantly less energy than its traditional counterparts. The development makes high-level computing significantly more sustainable, and could usher in a new era of clean computers.

The computer, which is still in its early phases, was able to carry out a complex classical mathematical computation using parallel computing, the same method employed by today’s supercomputers. While this feat is a huge accomplishment in itself, scientists say that there is still much work to be done before the biological supercomputer can take on normal supercomputers in other areas.

A press release from McGill describing the details of the study can be found here.

 

Sharing

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Filed Under: Front Page, Science

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Us

Facebookrss

Search:

Recent Posts

  • NASA’s InSight spacecraft makes important course correction May 26, 2018
  • Scientists outraged at latest Trump decision May 15, 2018
  • Huge uproar erupts over major incident at Utah park May 13, 2018
  • Incredible moon discovery stuns scientists May 12, 2018
  • Authorities shocked by discovery about common painkiller May 6, 2018
  • Outrageous crocodile experiment stuns scientists May 5, 2018
  • Great Barrier Reef is too quiet, scientists say May 1, 2018
  • Massive Hiroshima bomb discovery shocks scientists May 1, 2018
  • Earth will be slammed by massive asteroid April 29, 2018
  • Teens are doing something incredibly alarming in schools April 29, 2018
  • Huge discovery in Tasmania stuns scientists April 28, 2018
  • Shocking discovery in New Jersey stuns authorities April 22, 2018
  • Huge volcanic explosion could wipe out the United States April 21, 2018
  • Huge controversy erupts over world’s hottest pepper April 15, 2018
  • SpaceX is about to do something astonishing April 15, 2018

Copyright © 2021 Jones Kilmartin Group, LLC · Metro Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress