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New Report on Energy-Efficient Computing


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Inspired by the neural architecture of a macaque brain, this ghostly neon swirl is the wiring diagram for a new kind of computer that, by some definitions, may soon be able to think.

A new report outlines key factors limiting progress in computing--particularly related to energy consumption--and novel research that could overcome these barriers.

Credit: Emmett McQuinn/IBM Research-Almaden

Novel research could help overcome the barriers that are limiting progress in computing, according to a new report from a workshop jointly funded by the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).

The report says energy efficiency is key to improving the performance of computing, and notes energy inefficiencies are resulting in overheating computing systems and thermal management issues. The report also says the pace of performance increases has slowed at a time when the amount of data computer users produce is exploding.

"Fundamental research on hardware performance, complex system architectures, and new memory/storage technologies can help to discover new ways to achieve energy-efficient computing," says Jim Kurose, assistant director of NSF's directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering. "Partnerships with industry, including SRC and its member companies, are an important way to speed the adoption of these research findings."

The Grand Challenge for Future Computing has called for new approaches in order to operate computing systems with the efficiency of the human brain. The findings and recommendations of the report also align with the National Strategic Computing Initiative.

From National Science Foundation
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Abstracts Copyright © 2015 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA


 

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