China's upgraded light-powered 'AGI chip' is now a million times more efficient than before, researchers say

Scientists in China have unveiled Taichi-II, an upgraded version of their fully optical artificial intelligence (AI) chip that they say could one day power artificial general intelligence (AGI) systems.

The first Taichi chip was unveiled by researchers in April 2024. Instead of relying on electronic components, the tiny, modular device is powered by photons, or particles of light. These photons power tiny on-board electrical switches that turn on or off when voltage is applied.

Compared with its predecessor, Taichi-II is 40% more accurate in classification tasks, which involve sorting and identifying different types of information, and delivers a "six orders of magnitude" (i.e., a million-fold) improvement in energy efficiency in low-light conditions, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

The researchers achieved this leap in performance by training the AI directly on the optical chip, rather than relying on digital simulations — a process the scientists called "fully forward mode." They described their findings in a study published Aug. 7 in the journal Nature.

Fully forward mode is an AI training method in which data moves in only one direction — forward. This differs from traditional training methods, where data is typically processed in multiple, iterative steps. As light passes through the chip, it interacts with tiny components that adjust its direction and modulate its phase and intensity. These cause immediate changes to the AI model's parameters, enabling it to learn in real time without repeated processing.

Fully forward mode helps photon chips work even faster than before, but these chips already have significant advantages over conventional chips. Light-based chips are far less energy-intensive and can perform calculations much faster than traditional chips as they can process multiple signals simultaneously. This is because photons, unlike electrons, can travel at the speed of light and don't generate heat as they move through the chip, leading to faster and more efficient processing.

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