A supercomputer is a computer that is at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation. The term supercomputer itself is rather fluid, and today’s supercomputer tends to become tomorrow’s ordinary computer. CDC’s early machines (first supercomputer’s designed in 1960s) were simply very fast scalar processors, some ten times the speed of the fastest machines offered by other companies.

Supercomputer, and many other technology, just some science fiction idea from some time ago, they just come out from some movie or book. But they are real machine now.

Today I watch a movie, about this sci-fi supercomputer, Echelon Conspiracy (2009). It’s kinda boring actually. It have similar story with Wargames: The Dead Code (2008) and Eagle Eye (2008). It’s about uncontrollable supercomputer, they’re becoming too smart, gain access to all digital gadget and network, upgrading themself on their own, too objective on their duty, make them wipe out all threat on their way, including human being.

Today they’re so many research about this artificial intelligence. How to make computer or robot as real as human, like in the Artificial Intelligence movie (2001). And they becoming real. Take a look at this video, CB2, one of Japan’s most advanced robotics projects—using 197 sensors under its pallid gray skin, eye-cameras, 51 pneumatic “muscles” and the high-end processing power to drive it all, it has learned to recognize facial expressions, follow the gaze of its “mother” and even teach itself to walk (Gizmodo):

Scientists nowadays have also created a Robot Scientist which the researchers believe is the first machine to have independently discovered new scientific knowledge. The robot, called Adam, is a computer system that fully automates the scientific process. (Lab Spaces).

Artificial intelligence, by claiming to be able to recreate the capabilities of the human mind, is both a challenge and an inspiration for philosophy. Are there limits to how intelligent machines can be? Is there an essential difference between human intelligence and artificial intelligence? Can a machine have a mind and consciousness? Can they rule the world?