The photonic neural network, created by engineers from the University of Pennsylvania, is
Researchers explain that in traditionalneural networks used for image recognition, first a sensor, such as a camera, forms an image of the target object. Optical data is converted into an electrical signal and then into a binary code that can be processed, analyzed, stored and sorted using computer chips. The current speed limit of such technologies is set by the clock schedule of the processor, where calculations occur one after the other in a linear sequence.
The new development eliminated four mainTime-consuming factors in a traditional digital chip: converting optical signals to electrical signals, input data to binary format, requiring a large memory module, and performing clock-based calculations.
Schematic representation of the principles of operation of the chip. Image: Ella Maru Studio, Penn Engineering Today
The photonic neural network processes the opticalwaves incident on an array of pixels on a crystal as they propagate through layers of neurons. The developers say that in each neuron, linear calculations are performed optically, and the non-linear activation function is implemented using optoelectronics.
The optical neurons of the chip are interconnected withusing waveguides and optical wires. The information flows through the layers of the network, and each step helps classify the input image into one of the learned categories.
The authors of the papers note that a uniformly distributed light source provides the same range of the output optical signal for each neuron. This allows the network to scale.
Engineers say faster computingis the key to improving a large number of applications, such as face recognition, automatic text detection in photos, or helping self-driving cars to identify obstacles.
Read more
Chinese AI predicts the course of hypersonic missiles. The retaliatory strike will be ahead
From a mixture of HPV, cancer and syphilis, "immortal" cells turned out: what is known about them
Astronomers from Japan have found an unknown structure in the galaxy