US-20260127244-A1 - THERMODYNAMIC COMPUTING SWISH GADGET

US20260127244A1US 20260127244 A1US20260127244 A1US 20260127244A1US-20260127244-A1

Abstract

An analog Swish gadget is implemented using one or more thermodynamic chips (neuro-thermodynamic processors). The analog Swish gadget takes a thermodynamic input and calculates a result of the Swish function thermodynamically according to an engineered potential used for oscillators and oscillator couplings for a set of oscillators that implement the analog Swish gadget. The analog Swish gadget returns the result of the Swish function as a thermodynamic output that may be relayed to other energy-based models of a thermodynamic computer. The input, processing, and output are all performed thermodynamically (e.g., in an analog fashion) without a need to convert the information into a classical representation (e.g., a classical representation such as information stored in memory of a classical computing device).

Inventors

Christopher Chamberland
Guillaume Verdon-Akzam

Assignees

Extropic Corp.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241105

Claims (20)

1 . A system comprising: one or more thermodynamic chips, comprising: a set of oscillators configured to perform a Swish function, the set of oscillators comprising: an input oscillator; an output oscillator; and one or more additional oscillators, wherein to perform the Swish function, the set of oscillators are configured to: obtain thermodynamic information on the input oscillator; couple to each other to implement an engineered potential, wherein the engineered potential thermodynamically implements the Swish function; and thermodynamically evolve based on the engineered potential, wherein the thermodynamic evolution based on the engineered potential causes the output oscillator to obtain a result of the Swish function based on input provided to the input oscillator.
2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a relay gadget comprising one or more oscillators, wherein the one or more oscillators of the relay gadget are configured to couple to the output oscillator to obtain an expectation value of the output oscillator, wherein the result of the Swish function is encoded in the expectation value of the output oscillator.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein to implement the engineered potential, the output oscillator of the set of oscillators is a single-well oscillator with a single valley.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein to implement the engineered potential, respective ones of the additional oscillators of the set of oscillators are dual-well oscillators with two valleys.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein to perform the Swish function, the one or more additional oscillators comprise a single oscillator that corresponds to a sigmoid function.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein to implement the engineered potential, the set of oscillators are configured to: implement a dual-well potential using the one or more additional oscillators using a dual-well potential parameter having a first coupling strength; couple the one or more additional oscillators and the input oscillator together, using a second coupling strength; and couple the output oscillator, the one or more additional oscillators, and the input oscillator together, using a third coupling strength, wherein the first coupling strength is larger than the second coupling strength or the third coupling strength.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein to perform the Swish function, the one or more additional oscillators comprise an oscillator that corresponds to a sigmoid function and an oscillator that corresponds to a multiplicative factor.
8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein to implement the engineered potential, the set of oscillators are configured to: implement a dual-well potential using the additional oscillator that corresponds to the sigmoid function using a dual-well potential parameter having a first coupling strength; couple the additional oscillator and the input oscillator together, using a second coupling strength; couple the additional oscillator that corresponds to the multiplicative factor and the input oscillator together, using a third coupling strength; and couple the output oscillator, the additional oscillator that corresponds to the sigmoid function, and the additional oscillator that corresponds to the multiplicative factor together, using a fourth coupling strength, wherein the third coupling strength is larger than the fourth coupling strength.
9 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising: another set of oscillators configured to implement an energy-based model; and an additional set of oscillators comprising one or more relay oscillators configured to relay information between the set of oscillators and the other set of oscillators configured to implement the energy-based model.
10 . A thermodynamic Swish gadget comprising: a set of oscillators configured to: couple to each other to implement an engineered potential, wherein the engineered potential thermodynamically implements a Swish function; and thermodynamically evolve based on the engineered potential, wherein the thermodynamic evolution based on the engineered potential causes an oscillator of the set of oscillators to obtain a result of the Swish function based on an input.
11 . The thermodynamic Swish gadget of claim 10 , further comprising: a relay gadget comprising one or more oscillators, wherein the one or more oscillators of the relay gadget are configured to couple to one or more oscillators of the set of oscillators to obtain an expectation value of an output oscillator, wherein the result of the Swish function is encoded in the expectation value of the output oscillator.
12 . The thermodynamic Swish gadget of claim 10 , wherein to implement the engineered potential: one or more respective oscillators of the set of oscillators are single-well oscillators; and one or more respective oscillators of the set of oscillators are dual-well oscillators.
13 . The thermodynamic Swish gadget of claim 10 , wherein to perform the Swish function, the set of oscillators comprises one or more additional oscillators that correspond to a sigmoid function.
14 . The thermodynamic Swish gadget of claim 13 , wherein to implement the engineered potential, the set of oscillators are configured to: implement a dual-well potential using the additional oscillator that corresponds to the sigmoid function using a dual-well potential parameter having a first coupling strength; couple the additional oscillator and an input oscillator together, using a second coupling strength; couple another additional oscillator that corresponds to a multiplicative factor and the input oscillator together, using a third coupling strength; and couple an output oscillator, the additional oscillator that corresponds to the sigmoid function, and the other additional oscillator that corresponds to the multiplicative factor together, using a fourth coupling strength, wherein the third coupling strength is larger than the fourth coupling strength.
15 . The thermodynamic Swish gadget of claim 10 , wherein to perform the Swish function, the set of oscillators comprises an oscillator that corresponds to a sigmoid function and an oscillator that corresponds to a multiplicative factor.
16 . The thermodynamic Swish gadget of claim 15 , wherein to implement the engineered potential, the set of oscillators are configured to: implement a dual-well potential using one oscillator of the set of oscillators with a dual-well potential parameter having a first coupling strength; couple two oscillators of the set of oscillators together, using a second coupling strength; and coupling another two oscillator of the set of oscillators together, using a third coupling strength; and coupling three oscillators of the set of oscillators together, using a fourth coupling strength, wherein the third coupling strength is larger than the fourth coupling strength.
17 . The thermodynamic Swish gadget of claim 10 , further comprising: another set of oscillators configured to implement an energy-based model; and an additional set of oscillators comprising one or more relay oscillators configured to relay information between the set of oscillators and the other set of oscillators configured to implement the energy-based model.
18 . A method, comprising: coupling one or more output oscillators of an energy-based model to one or more oscillators of a Swish gadget; and causing the oscillators of the Swish gadget to thermodynamically evolve based on an engineered potential, wherein the engineered potential thermodynamically implements a Swish function.
19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising: coupling, subsequent to the thermodynamic evolution, one or more oscillators of the Swish gadget to one or more oscillators of another energy-based model, wherein a result of the Swish function is transferred to the other energy-based model.
20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said engineered potential is implemented by: implementing a dual-well potential using one oscillator of the set of oscillators with a dual-well potential parameter having a first coupling strength; coupling two oscillators of the set of oscillators together using a second coupling strength; and coupling three oscillators of the set of oscillators together using a third coupling strength, wherein the first coupling strength is larger than the second coupling strength or the third coupling strength.

Description

BACKGROUND Various algorithms, such as machine learning algorithms, often use statistical probabilities to make decisions or to model systems. Some such learning algorithms may use Bayesian statistics, or may use other statistical models that have a theoretical basis in natural phenomena. Also, machine learning algorithms themselves may be implemented using Bayesian statistics, or may use other statistical models that have a theoretical basis in natural phenomena. Generating such statistical probabilities may involve performing complex calculations which may require both time and energy to perform, thus increasing a latency of execution of the algorithm and/or negatively impacting energy efficiency. In some scenarios, calculation of such statistical probabilities using classical computing devices may result in non-trivial increases in execution time of algorithms and/or energy usage to execute such algorithms. As an alternative, algorithms may be performed using thermodynamic computers. However, communication between multiple energy-based models implemented on a thermodynamic computing device and/or communications between thermodynamic computing devices may require converting information into a classical computing device form, thus reducing at least some of the benefits of a thermodynamic computer implementation. Also, such algorithms may include various functions that may need to be performed on the thermodynamic information, wherein performing the functions without converting the thermodynamic information into a classical computing device form speeds execution and avoids potential measurement errors. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1A is high-level diagram illustrating an energy-based model (EBM) implemented using a thermodynamic chip and an analog Swish gadget implemented using a thermodynamic chip, wherein the EBM and analog Swish gadget are shown at a first moment in time (e.g. prior to a coupling between oscillators of the Swish gadget and oscillators of the EBM), wherein the coupling (performed directly or via relay oscillators) provides input values for a Swish function that is performed thermodynamically, according to some embodiments. FIG. 1B illustrates the EBM and analog Swish gadget at a second moment in time, wherein a coupling to thermodynamically transfer an input value to an oscillator of the Swish gadget has been performed, according to some embodiments. FIG. 1C illustrates the EBM and analog Swish gadget at a later moment in time, wherein the analog Swish gadget, uncoupled from the EBM, has thermodynamically evolved under an engineered potential of the analog Swish gadget such that respective oscillators of the analog Swish gadget evolve to have a value that encodes the output of the Swish function, according to some embodiments. FIG. 1D illustrates an example configuration wherein a relay oscillator is used to provide an adjustable mass and/or frequency that allows the output oscillator of the EBM to be treated as static when coupled with the analog Swish gadget, according to some embodiments. FIG. 1E illustrates an additional example configuration wherein the output of the EBM is directly coupled to the input of the Swish gadget, and wherein a relay gadget is used to receive the result of the Swish function, implemented thermodynamically via the analog Swish gadget coupled to the EBM, wherein the relay gadget stores an expectation value of the output oscillator of the analog Swish gadget, according to some embodiments. FIG. 1F illustrates another example configuration wherein a relay oscillator is used to provide an adjustable mass and/or frequency that allows the output oscillator of the EBM to be treated as static when coupled with the analog Swish gadget, and wherein a relay gadget is used to receive the result of the Swish function, implemented thermodynamically via the analog Swish gadget coupled to the EBM, wherein the relay gadget stores an expectation value of the respective input/output oscillators of the analog Swish gadget, according to some embodiments. FIG. 1G illustrates another example configuration wherein an additional relay gadget is used to provide one or more adjustable masses and/or frequencies that allow the output oscillator of the EBM to be treated as static when coupled with the analog Swish gadget, and wherein a relay gadget is used to receive the result of the Swish function, implemented thermodynamically via the analog Swish gadget coupled to the EBM, wherein the relay gadget stores an expectation value of the output oscillator of the analog Swish gadget, according to some embodiments. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an analog Swish gadget comprising an input oscillator treated as static, an additional oscillator with a dual-well potential, and an output oscillator with a single-well potential, wherein the couplings between the oscillators comprise a two-body coupling and a three-body coupling, according to some embodiments. FIG. 3 illustrates another