Under the slogan “Opening the Future of Computing”, Microsoft is actively moving towards photonic (using light) computing technology using the Analog Iterative Machine (AIM). For now, the light machine is being licensed for use by financial institutions to help navigate endlessly complex data streams.
According to the blog Microsoft Research“Microsoft researchers are developing a new type of analog optical computer that uses photons and electrons to process data, as opposed to current digital computers that use transistors to process binary data.”
In other words, AIM is not limited to the binary ones and zeros that a standard computer is tied to. Instead, the machine is given the freedom of the entire light spectrum to process data and solve complex optimization problems.
Microsoft explains that conventional computers struggle to process the huge amount of data that some companies need to process on a daily basis, as “the number of possible combinations grows exponentially with task size.” Even with the impressive processing power of today’s processors, hardware limitations make it almost impossible to efficiently process such complex work, not to mention the cost.
This is where AIM comes to the rescue. This “analogue optical computer” can do more and much faster.
To understand the context, it is worth noting that photons do not interact with each other, but they leave “imprints” on the matter through which they pass. AIM researchers were able to use this fact to their advantage. They channel light through multiple layers, imprinting each part of what is called a “modular array”. It is this process of projecting light through an array that replaces the function of a standard transistor.
Because light technologies can perform powerful linear operations, while electronic components can perform non-linear operations, the researchers were able to combine optical and electronic analog technologies to create a computer that “bypasses the declining growth in processing power per dollar in digital circuits.”
