All-Electrical Fully Connected Coupled Oscillator Ising Machine

Computational problems in the field of electronic circuits often require extensive time and resources to be solved with traditional digital systems, fostering a need for more effective technologies. Digital systems often suffer from an information bottleneck between logic computation blocks and memory, hampering the efficient solving of complex problems. Moreover, the conventional systems lack the flexibility needed to perform bidirectional operations, which are crucial in several computational tasks like factoring numbers. Current approaches to addressing these issues fall short, predominantly because of their linear and unidirectional logic. Conventional logic gates used for computational processes only operate in one direction, limiting their capabilities in intricate tasks that might require reverse operation. Viterbi decoders in existing systems also struggle with the "information bottleneck" issue, leading to a drag on the speed and efficiency of computation. Current technologies hence fall short in tackling complex computational tasks.

Technology Description

Networks of superharmonic injection-locked (SHIL) electronic oscillators can emulate Ising machines to solve complex computational issues. The oscillators, either simulated or physically implemented (e.g., with LC oscillators), are connected to one another via links whose connection strengths align with the problem to be solved. The phases of these oscillators are measurable relative to one reference signal or multiple signals emitted from reference oscillators, which do not receive any input from other oscillators. The technology stands out in its application as Viterbi decoders and Boolean logic gates. Viterbi decoders constructed with sparsely connected SHIL oscillator networks are not prone to the digital computation problem of an information bottleneck between logic computational blocks and memory. Furthermore, these networks can be programmed to function as Boolean logic gates operating bidirectionally, facilitating factoring numbers with multipliers.