[themeek]

This is one of the exotic devices in DARPA's UPSIDE competition for exascale computing. This initiative seeks to find non-state (non-transistor) based approaches to computation: exploitation of nanoscale response properties of discrete components to perform some restricted, non-binary, forms of computation. Essentially, exotic ways to abuse silicon lithography to get analog computation.

The idea, and this can be seen on DARPA's slides (http://www.darpa.mil/workarea/downloadasset.aspx?id=21474857...), is to get computation that is several orders of magnitude higher for their specialized sets of problems than what can theoretically be reached by traditional computing models even if Moore's law continues.

DARPA would like to first apply this technology to ARGUS drone systems (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGxNyaXfJsA) and related technology because streaming video can't be done to the ground, tracking and decision making must be done on board - yet traditional processing platforms can only track a few orders of magnitude fewer targets that what the military would like.

In a more advanced phase, if memristor or coupled oscillator (etc) approaches to building inference models become possible, then programs written in DARPA's other initiative (Probablistic Programming) could be programmed into these exotic solid state devices to compute in a way more analogous to today's generic computation. And indeed, eventually the adoption of Probablistic Programming will train programmers to write code for quantum computers - while more complicated, replacing Probablistic Programming's PDFs with probability amplitudes almost get one there.

I hope to see more journalistic coverage of some of the other exotic devices.

[simi_]

I find it disturbing how everyone seems relatively unfazed by DARPA's intended use of this technology.

[jraines]

People have, I think, internalized the logic of arms races. Someone's going to have [scary technology X], so why shouldn't we have it first/best? (Sure, there are answers to that, but none that I think most people would stick to when push comes to shove).

[chm]

How exactly is a memristor not a state device?

And about journalistic coverage... you seem to be knowledgeable about these programs, so there's an opportunity for you :)

[Synaesthesia]

A lot of it is shrouded in secrecy I'm afraid, unless you're doing the research. I'm also very interested in memristors, I think it's a quantum leap forward for computing, in many respects. But there's very little information one can get out there. Would love to know where I can find out more.

[chm]

I suggest you start with the Nature paper from the guys at HP[1]. Then move on to Leon Chua's original and later papers.

[1]: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v453/n7191/full/nature0...

[FD3SA]

The top comment mentions DARPA research, but for those who are actually interested in the theory behind the memristor and its potential applications, here [1] is an excellent resource by the man who discovered the first physical memristor.

Furthermore, there is a huge amount of open access journal articles and wikipedia material on memristors. DARPA is nowhere close to the cutting edge, SK Hynix is already tooling ReRAM fabs for mass production.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKGhvKyjgLY

[fapjacks]

You know, I think it's pretty funny (with a heaping helping of schadenfreude) that the first graphic in the first link shows some completely arbitrary "DoD Sensing Requirements" compared to actual processor capability. How exactly does one bridge the gap between our current processor capabilities and fucking omniscience? I guess DARPA will try to find out.

[themeek]

They intend to bridge the gap by forfeiting the assumption that transistors and discrete logic need be the atomic units of computation. They give up discretization and call for exotic modes of computation that can achieve reliable, but non binary, behaviors. Chaining these new units together, the idea is to build 'inference modules' - small clusters capable of performing statistical induction and aduction - these modules than able to be chained to perform higher level logic like, for example, detecting shapes and features in input video for tracking.

[JulianMorrison]

So, Skynet, basically?