Hewlett Packard's "La Maquina" : I want one
Finally. The Xerox Park Research Labs for the 21st century turns out not to be at Apple Co, but rather at Hewlett Packard--something surprising when you consider that only a few years ago its former CEO had stupidly decided to abandon all hardware to focus the entire company exclusively on software. That must have been quite a scare to those who worked on todays newly announced technology.
Forget quantum computing as well. That is too 'newfangled' to be of any actual practical applications in the immediate near future, or so it seems to me. What HP has done is actually to take the best of what is available, part in-house, part outhouse, to create something that appears totally magical. They are calling it "The Machine."
If it is as good as it sounds--and it sounds awfully good--it will truly usher a new computing age. A household will now be able to have the amount of computing power at their fingertips by the end of the decade that large research labs currently hold in their million dollar budgeted departments. Just the energy consumption per computing power will be drastically reduced. What would require its own power plant will now consume a week's worth of residential electricity. Whereas before memory was distinct from storage, and needed to be placed within close confines of the processor can now be located far away from it. It is computing power to the nth power rather than a multiplier of some predetermined number.
My mouth is salivating already, and it is still long into the future.
Well, what does this "La Maquina" actually entail? (It is not formally called "La Maquina".) From the descriptions available, what HP is actually doing is redesigning the basic computer internal infrastructure, which has historically used copper wiring to connect all of its different components. They are not designing a new processor, not their forte (Intel), but rather completely altering its supporting infrastructure with the use of fiber optics and memristors. HP adds the 'memristor', based on 'ion-based storage', and the novel idea of reinventing the complete internal structure of the current computer via fotonics. This is where their brilliance lies.
The swapping of data between complex hierarchies in contemporary computers slows down the total speed of their processes. Since memory (RAM) has historically been more expensive than other sorts of storage, it was used only for computing processes, using the hard drive for 'long term storage'. But even in simple transactions, the swapping of information between the processor and the hard drive was a necesity, leading to an inevitable reduction in potential speed. The use of cache and more recently flash has shown how much the processes could be sped up by simpel architecural changes. But still, copper was used as the underlying infrastructure, creating limitations in the overall speed; electricity flowing to copy is ultimately ineffective because of heat generation. The decision to throw out copper and use 'photonics', now fairly advanced, was brilliant. (There is much more to it, but you get the basic idea.)
HP seems to be well aware of the many complexities involved--not only the technological hurdles but the political ones as well. They realized that the given increase in information would present its own challenges, and seem to be very well aware of the post-Snowden potential implications of what such enormous computing power will be. As a result, they have made the momentous decision to make the operating system public open source, allowing any and all computer scientists/hackers/programmers to inspect it. In principle this will drastically increase the detection of codes rendered for illicit uses, be it by state or non-state actors. In sharp contrast to Apple, HP will open its entire code for public inspection and contribution. Another applause.
It appears that they hope to introduce the final versions of "The Machine" into the public domain by the year 2020, though it is not really a 'computer' in the strict sense of the word but rather a new way of computing. Given the complexity and ambitious scope of the project--not to mention that the use of open source will in and og itself alter whatever schedule has been previously determined--it is likely that the 'project' if we may call it that will not be finished on time. However, as bits and pieces of "The Machine" become available, these would be gradually introduced into new products and 'the public domain'.
If Hewlett Packard's claims are true, it is certainly the case that the need for a digital Bill of Rights as suggested by Tim Bener's Lee is more necessary than ever. This drastic reduction in computing power will give its users much more power and leverage than they previously had. Yet, while the machine is continually 'evolving', human brains do not , and neither do many political systems. Key ethical and political issue be considered in the construction of this machine along the way, and which may require some internal restrictions in its own design. Without these limitations, repressive governments will have the ideal tool to make our worst nightmares come true.
Nobody wants a GATTACA, except for its existence in a fictional world.