The prototype named simple "the Machine" uses a new approach to computer architecture which the company says can be adapted for a range of Big Data applications, handling tasks at thousands of times the speed of existing devices.
The new system is called "memory driven computing" and uses light waves to transmit data instead of electrical impulses traveling over silicon, bypassing what engineers say is an obstacle to boosting computing speeds.
Sharad Singhal, who heads machine applications for HPE, said previous efforts to boost computing power "were running into a brick wall into computation" because computing needs are increasing beyond the capacity of existing chips.
Singhal said the project is an effort "to rethink computers from the ground up."
This means instead of a silicon chip at the heart of the computer, "we are putting data at the center," the researcher said.
