New computer game opens up the world of AI and photonics for children!

New computer game opens up the world of AI and photonics for children!

Münster, Deutschland - A new computer game entitled "Calculating at the Speed ​​of Light" was developed within the European research project "Phoenics". This game is aimed at children from the age of twelve and young adults who have an interest in scientific phenomena. It conveys basic knowledge of optical chips and their role in artificial intelligence (AI). Players are led by various levels in which they learn how to function in lasers and new computer architectures while expanding their skills in mathematics and physics.

The game is part of the Serious Games and can be played free of charge at this link . In the four build -up levels, the players learn, among other things, how to construct a laser, develop a photonic processor, build a calculation scheme for matrix multiplication and finally train a AI that should recognize round shapes. The game is accompanied by a fictional dialogue between Albert Einstein and John von Neumann, who underlines the importance of both personalities: Einstein is crucial for the development of the laser, while from Neumann is considered a pioneer of computer science.

research project Phoenics

The Phoenics project, which started in 2021, will be funded by the European Commission as part of Horizont 2020 with almost six million euros. The aim of the project is to research new, energy-efficient hardware alternatives and to develop innovative approaches in photonic computing in order to overcome the challenges of the bog law. The project has a term of four years and brings leading institutions and companies worldwide such as the University of Münster, the universities of Oxford and Exeter (UK), the University of Gent (Belgium), the ETH Lausanne (Switzerland) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Community Technology and IBM together.

One of the project's key innovations is the development of photonic neuromorphic processors that can imitate the learning of the human brain. In this way, the project result is intended to ensure that photonic computing is established as a competitive approach for machine learning. This is particularly relevant because AI applications require increasingly high computing power and storage capacity, and this is often more than five times as high as the moor law prescribes.

new technologies and challenges

In connection with photonic computers, developments recently took place at MIT, where researchers designed a photonic chip that performs AI calculations with light. This chip can efficiently perform all central operations of a deep neural network and, by using the speed of light, offers potentially far superior speed and energy efficiency compared to conventional electronic hardware. Nevertheless, these technologies face challenges, especially with regard to the implementation of non -linear operations.

The development of these technologies is the key to coping with the increasing requirements of modern deep learning models. The photonic chip could find revolutionary applications in areas such as cameras and communication systems and thus plays a central role in the future of AI. Overall, the Phoenics project shows the promising developments in the field of photonic computing and their possible effects on the learned content in new, interactive learning platforms for the next generation.