Chinese scientists have unveiled a significant advancement in optical artificial intelligence (AI) with the Taichi-II chip.
This upgraded version of the original Taichi chip, introduced earlier this year, is designed to be more accurate and energy-efficient, potentially paving the way for future artificial general intelligence (AGI) systems.
One of the standout features of Taichi-II is its improved performance in classification tasks. Compared to its predecessor, it boasts a 40% increase in accuracy and a million-fold improvement in energy efficiency under low-light conditions.
This significant leap was achieved by training the AI directly on the optical chip using a "fully forward mode" approach.
Unlike traditional training methods that involve multiple iterative steps, fully forward mode allows data to move in a single, unidirectional flow. As light passes through the chip, it interacts with components that adjust its direction, phase, and intensity, leading to immediate changes in the AI model's parameters.
This real-time learning capability eliminates the need for repeated processing, making the chip even faster.
Optical chips like Taichi-II offer several advantages over conventional electronic chips. They are less energy-intensive, can perform calculations much faster, and generate less heat. This is because photons, the particles of light that power these chips, can travel at the speed of light and don't produce heat during processing.
The researchers believe that Taichi-II's modular architecture could be scaled up to create extremely powerful AI systems.
By combining multiple chiplets, they demonstrated the ability to simulate a network of nearly 14 million artificial neurons, far surpassing the capabilities of other light-based chips.
While AGI remains a distant goal, the development of Taichi-II represents a significant step towards realizing its potential.
By addressing the growing demand for high-performance, low-energy computing, these optical AI chips could play a crucial role in driving advancements in artificial intelligence and beyond.
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