Quantum computing utilizes quantum-mechanical phenomena, including superposition and entanglement, to perform operations on data. According to Wikipedia, quantum computers differ from traditional binary digital electronic systems based on transistors. To be sure, digital computing encodes data into binary digits (bits), each of which is always in one or two definite states: 0 or 1. In contrast, quantum computation exploits quantum bits, which can be in superpositions of states.
Emerging Solutions
Smart Data Acceleration with FPGAs and DRAM
The proliferation of connected devices has significantly increased the amount of data being captured, moved and analyzed. This trend is expected to continue well into the foreseeable future as the rapidly burgeoning Internet of Things (IoT) ramps up. Perhaps not surprisingly, the exponential increase in data has created a number of new bottlenecks in data centers, prompting the industry to examine fresh approaches to system architecture.
What if HAL 9000 had been lensless?
The fictional HAL 9000 is a sentient computer that made its infamous on-screen debut in Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the 1968 film directed by Stanley Kubrick, HAL is depicted in the form of multiple camera lenses containing a dot, which are scattered throughout the Discovery One spacecraft.
According to HAL’s Legacy: 2001’s Computer as Dream and Reality, edited by Rambus Fellow Dr. David G. Stork, HAL is capable of speech, speech recognition, facial recognition, natural language processing, lip reading, art appreciation, interpreting emotional behavior, automated reasoning and playing chess.
Redesigning smart sensors for the IoT
Ed Sperling of Semiconductor Engineering observes that sensor technology is beginning to change on a fundamental level. Indeed, companies are now looking beyond the five senses – on which early sensors were modeled – to tailoring the versatile technology for specific applications.
Evolving machine design with gesture and eye tracking
Jeff Orr, Research Director for ABI Research, says gesture, eye tracking and proximity sensor technologies will mark the next stage of innovation for machine design. Indeed, driven by smartphone and tablet sensor integration, a more extensive and competitive ecosystem is expected to create “massive” opportunities in automotive, consumer electronics and healthcare markets.
Why megapixels are only part of the smartphone camera equation
Carolyn Mathas of Electronics 360 recently penned a blog post exploring the ever-higher resolutions supported by smartphone cameras. “What [really] drives the need for ever-higher smartphone camera pixel count today—bragging rights or stunning selfies?” she asks. “And when will the number of megapixels be enough?” As Mathas notes, image resolution equates to image detail. “If high resolution means more image detail, does it just mean how well you can see that hummingbird extracting nectar from the stunning flower? No, it also has to do with how large you can print, how much you are able to crop, how far you can blow up an image and more,” she continues. “So an easy answer to the question, ‘Do we really need pixel counts in the mid-teens?’ can be answered with ‘Do you do these things, or are you just interested in seeing the hummingbird?’”