'The Machine' is a newfangled computer that's unlike any other in the world

[Free Vulcan]

Hewlett Packard Enterprise has come a big step closer to launching a computer called The Machine that it's been talking about, researching, and developing since 2014. On Tuesday, it announced that is has a prototype of this computer that is specifically designed for the big data era.

It uses a new kind of memory to be able to store and instantly analyze mind-boggling amounts of data, potentially even a limitless amount of data. The current prototype that HPE is showing off today contains 160 terabytes (TB) of memory, which is enough to store and work with every book in the Library of Congress five times over, the company says.

But this new kind of memory can expand far beyond that. HPE expects to be able to build a machine that reaches up to 4,096 yottabytes ... which is big enough to hold 250,000 times all the data currently stored in the world. For instance, The Machine can crunch through "every digital health record of every person on earth; every piece of data from Facebook; every trip of Google’s autonomous vehicles; and every data set from space exploration all at the same time, " HPE CEO Meg Whitman wrote in a blog post.

She calls The Machine HPE's moonshot device.

"No computer on Earth can manipulate that much data in a single place at once. And this is just our prototype," she wrote.

HPE The Machine PrototypeHPE's "The Machine" prototypeHPE

Not only has the company invented a new kind of memory to build this computer, but the company is breaking from its long-standing partnership with Microsoft and building a new operating system, based on Linux, to run this computer. It is also using ARM chips as the main processor, not Intel chips.

Here are the technical specs for this prototype:

    - 160 TB of shared memory spread across 40 physical nodes, interconnected using a high-performance fabric protocol
    - An optimized Linux-based operating system (OS) running on ThunderX2, Cavium’s flagship second generation dual socket capable ARMv8-A workload optimized System on a Chip
    - Photonics/Optical communication links, including the new X1 photonics module, are online and operational
    - Software programming tools designed to take advantage of abundant persistent memory


Read more at: http://www.businessinsider.com/hpe-the-machine-prototype-computer-big-data-2017-5

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I've read and seen enough dystopian sci-fi and superhero movies that this thing scares the living crap out of me. This thing sounds like it could make Orwell a prophet.

[Frank Cannon]

BMW's catch phrase is "Ultimate Driving Machine". HP's phrase for this should be "Ultimate Spying Machine".

[EC]

I've read and seen enough dystopian sci-fi and superhero movies that this thing scares the living crap out of me. This thing sounds like it could make Orwell a prophet.

Or itself an Oracle.

[DB]

At some point, consciousness and self awareness is going to be achieved. 160 TB is in the realm of the human brain's estimated storage capacity.

That is going to change things in profound ways.

[geronl]

Ultron jr....

[GtHawk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7Rq-PEW5qM
 

[Oceander]

Skynet

Or I, Robot. 

[Oceander]

This got me thinking about evolution of species.  It may very well be that the next step in human evolution has us wiped out by the artificial/synthetic organisms we invent.  Is that a disaster?

The old anaerobic organisms that first populated Earth were wiped out by their mutant aerobic offspring as the offspring converted the atmosphere over to a much higher content of free oxygen.  Should we feel sorry for the anaerobes?

Are we now to play the role of the anaerobes, and the role of the aerobes by our synthetic offspring?  If we don't feel sorry for the anaerobes, should we feel sorry for ourselves?

[geronl]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7Rq-PEW5qM
 

Colossus and Guardian were worse than the Big Whopr in War Games because they didn't even want our opinion in the matter of intercontinental nuclear warfare.

[Fishrrman]

"No computer on Earth can manipulate that much data in a single place at once. And this is just our prototype," she wrote.

Heh.

Fifteen years from now, a smartphone will have more power.

Well, certainly an iMac!  ;)

[Joe Wooten]

"No computer on Earth can manipulate that much data in a single place at once. And this is just our prototype," she wrote.

Heh.

Fifteen years from now, a smartphone will have more power.

Well, certainly an iMac!  ;)

And maybe even the Big Mac.......

[ABX]

At some point, consciousness and self awareness is going to be achieved. 160 TB is in the realm of the human brain's estimated storage capacity.

That is going to change things in profound ways.

You must be referring to a Democrat brain. The average brain is approximately 2.5 Petabytes or 2500 TB. Getting closer though.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-memory-capacity/

[ABX]

I just want to know how long will it be until it is pretty much used to share pictures of cats.

[DB]

You must be referring to a Democrat brain. The average brain is approximately 2.5 Petabytes or 2500 TB. Getting closer though.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-memory-capacity/

There's a wide range of estimates, but you get the idea.

[Hopalong Ginsberg]

So it might be able to run Win10 smoothly?

@Freya

[Gefn]

So it might be able to run Win10 smoothly?

@Freya

And as long as the interwebs are made of cats.
@Hopalong Ginsberg

[Hopalong Ginsberg]

And as long as the interwebs are made of cats.
@Hopalong Ginsberg

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zi8VTeDHjcM

[geronl]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zi8VTeDHjcM

It certainly is

[Polly Ticks]

I just want to know how long will it be until it is pretty much used to share pictures of cats.

 

LOL. That was perfect!