Analogue computers could train AI 1000 times faster and cut energy use

Computers built with analogue circuits promise huge speed and efficiency gains over ordinary computers, but normally at the cost of accuracy. Analogue computers that rapidly solve a key type of equation used in training artificial intelligence models could offer a potential solution to the growing energy consumption in data centres caused by the AI boom. Laptops, smartphones and other familiar devices are known as digital computers, because they store and process data as a series of binary digits, either 0 or 1, and can be programmed to solve a range of problems. In contrast, analogue computers are normally designed to solve just one specific problem. They store and process data using quantities that can vary continuously such as electrical resistance, rather than discrete 0s and 1s.