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'Inexact' Chips Save Power By Fudging the Math

Posted by Soulskill on from the for-sufficiently-large-values-of-1 dept.

Barence writes "Computer scientists have unveiled a computer chip that turns traditional thinking about mathematical accuracy on its head by fudging calculations. The concept works by allowing processing components — such as hardware for adding and multiplying numbers — to make a few mistakes, which means they are not working as hard, and so use less power and get through tasks more quickly. The Rice University researchers say prototypes are 15 times more efficient and could be used in some applications without having a negative effect."

15 of 325 comments (clear)

  1. Prediction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    37 posts about the Pentium division bug.

    1. Re:Prediction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      You just deprived someone of their +5 Funny, you bastard.

    2. Re:Prediction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      36.9999995796 posts about the Pentium division bug.

      Fixed that for you.

    3. Re:Prediction by Chrisq · · Score: 5, Funny

      You just deprived someone of their +5 Funny, you bastard.

      My computer makes it a +4.7 funny.

    4. Re:Prediction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      37 posts about the Pentium division bug.

      By my estimation, at least half of the Slashdot readership isn't even old enough to remember the Pentium division bug.

      You're making the somewhat unsupportable assumption that Slashdot is attracting younger new readers somehow.

    5. Re:Prediction by Woogiemonger · · Score: 4, Funny

      37 posts about the Pentium division bug.

      37! In a row?

    6. Re:Prediction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      2^2==0

  2. Target Market by SJHillman · · Score: 5, Funny

    These chips will, of course, be aimed at government markets.

  3. First Post! by MyLongNickName · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is first post according to my new power-efficient computer!

    --
    See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
  4. Re:I see what they did there by ZeroSumHappiness · · Score: 3, Funny

    I feel this is more relevant: http://xkcd.com/1047/

  5. PI by Rik+Sweeney · · Score: 4, Funny

    "This isn't so much a circle as a square, what the hell's going on?!"
    "Oh, that's because the chip in your machine doesn't accurately define PI, it rounds the value up"
    "To what?"
    "4"

    --
    Summation 2
  6. A monkey job by Corson · · Score: 3, Funny

    In more recent news, computer scientists determined that monkeys can get the same job done even faster, and by using even less power, and by making, um... a lot more mistakes.

  7. American Chips by paleo2002 · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is exactly the problem with American chips lately. They're too lazy to put any effort into their work. Sure, they're "saving energy" but that just means they're going to become even more obese. Chips from many Asian manufacturers are already much more accurate and efficient than American ones. We need to encourage American chips to be more interested in STEM fields if we're ever going to turn our economy around!

  8. I tried this in high school by tomhath · · Score: 3, Funny

    the concept works by allowing processing components — such as hardware for adding and multiplying numbers — to make a few mistakes, which means they are not working as hard

    But my math teacher didn't understand the important difference between efficient and lazy.

  9. Re:Whatcouldpossiblygowrong by Roujo · · Score: 3, Funny

    and how do you know which one is right?

    With 4 chips, you can get 4 different answers.

    The slowest one to give the answer, clearly. =P