[ExI] Smallest human-equivalent device

[spike]

From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org
[mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of John Clark
Sent: Sunday, October 13, 2013 9:05 AM
To: ExI chat list
Subject: Re: [ExI] Smallest human-equivalent device

 

On Sat, Oct 12, 2013 at 1:36 PM, Anders Sandberg <anders at aleph.se> wrote:

 

> >.How many transistors are functionally equivalent to one synapse?

 
>. 
 
>.Granted you couldn't (yet) pack transistors at that density throughout a
volume as large as the human brain due to heat considerations, but imagine
what will be practical in just a few years.

 

 

Heat transfer problems never go away.  At the end of the miniaturizing game
we have enjoyed for the last half century, heat dissipation is what finally
stops our fun, and explains most of why processor clock speeds have stopped
increasing.

 

Agreed there is room for further progress, but what I see is more efficient
use of smaller processors.  I am thinking about checking out a local ARM
processor conference this week:

 

http://www.linleygroup.com/events/event.php?num=24

 

I get the feeling the future development is in these small energy efficient
processors with open architecture.  We might be able to get a bunch of these
things working together to form a kind of intelligence.

 

When we talk about a human equivalence intelligence, we may find it is
impossible to decide exactly what that means.

 

I will make this speculation: the next generation of humanoid robots will
have a bunch of interdependent processors.  Future sports will be robots
racing and playing against humans and against each other.  This stuff will
be big entertainment and possibly big employment in the near term future.

 

spike

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/attachments/20131013/1823fadc/attachment.html>