Analog computers are experiencing a renaissance, and the Department of Electromagnetic Field must not be missing!
Colleagues in the CEM team are testing new approaches to the design of a microwave device that implements a selected algebraic operation. These operations can be as simple as the sum of two numbers or as complex as the Fourier transform or matrix inversion. The advantage is the ability to operate the device – and thereby perform an algebraic operation – at multiple frequencies at the same time. In addition, the high-frequency signal is defined by both amplitude and phase, which makes it possible to work directly with complex numbers.
However, there are a number of challenges ahead for researchers, and the ambition is not to replace existing digital processors, but to expand their capabilities, especially in the field of processing and training artificial intelligence.
