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Researchers at Hewlett Packard Enterprises have unveiled what they describe as “the world’s largest single memory computer”.
Called “The Machine”, the system contains 160 terrabytes of memory and is capable of handling vast amounts of data at supercomputing speeds which, the company says, is equivalent to analysing 160 million books at the same time. For comparison, the memory in a standard PC ranges from four to 32 gigabytes.
The device, which is part of HPE’s Memory-Driven Computing research project, has a Linux-based operating system with its memory spread across 40 physical nodes.
According to HPE, the prototype could open the doors to a “new era of big data”, with devices that could house a “nearly-limitless” memory pool of 4,096 yottabytes (equivalent to one trillion terrabytes) in the future.
“We believe Memory-Driven Computing is the solution to move the technology industry forward in a way that can enable advancements across all aspects of society,” said Mark Potter, CTO at HPE.
“The architecture we have unveiled can be applied to every computing category – from intelligent edge devices to supercomputers.”
The information technology firm says its Memory-Driven Computing solution puts memory, not the processor, at the heart of the firm’s computing architecture.
The company said: “By eliminating the inefficiencies of how memory, storage and processors interact in traditional systems today, Memory-Driven Computing reduces the time needed to process complex problems from days to hours, hours to minutes, minutes to seconds, to deliver real-time intelligence.”
