"Greg Egan - Crystal Nights" - читать интересную книгу автора (Egan Greg)

double-check the number of digits in the FLOPS rating by counting them
off with one finger. There were a lot more than sheтАЩd been expecting, but
she wasnтАЩt seeing double.

тАЬThatтАЩs extraordinary,тАЭ she said. тАЬIs this whole building packed with
networked processors, with only the penthouse for humans?тАЭ

Daniel said, тАЬYou tell me. Is it a cluster?тАЭ

тАЬHmm.тАЭ So much for not making her jump through hoops, but it wasnтАЩt
really much of a challenge. She ran some different benchmarks, based on
algorithms that were provably impossible to parallelise; however smart the
compiler was, the steps these programs required would have to be carried
out strictly in sequence.

The FLOPS rating was unchanged.

Julie said, тАЬAll right, itтАЩs a single processor. Now youтАЩve got my
attention. Where is it?тАЭ

тАЬTurn the keyboard over.тАЭ

There was a charcoal-grey module, five centimetres square and five
millimetres thick, plugged into an inset docking bay. Julie examined it, but it
bore no manufacturerтАЩs logo or other identifying marks.

тАЬThis connects to the processor?тАЭ she asked.

тАЬNo. It is the processor.тАЭ

тАЬYouтАЩre joking.тАЭ She tugged it free of the dock, and the wall screen
went blank. She held it up and turned it around, though Daniel wasnтАЩt sure
what she was looking for. Somewhere to slip in a screw-driver and take the
thing apart, probably. He said, тАЬIf you break it, you own it, so I hope youтАЩve
got a few hundred spare.тАЭ

тАЬA few hundred grand? Hardly.тАЭ
 тАЬA few hundred million.тАЭ

Her face flushed. тАЬOf course. If it was two hundred grand, everyone
would have one.тАЭ She put it down on the table, then as an afterthought slid it
a little further from the edge. тАЬAs I said, youтАЩve got my attention.тАЭ

Daniel smiled. тАЬIтАЩm sorry about the theatrics.тАЭ

тАЬNo, this deserved the build-up. What is it, exactly?тАЭ

тАЬA single, three-dimensional photonic crystal. No electronics to slow it
down; every last component is optical. The architecture was nanofabricated
with a method that IтАЩd prefer not to describe in detail.тАЭ