Stochastic computing is one of logic’s little gems. Its advantage is essentially that it makes multiplication as easy as addition.
That’s significant. Imagine adding 0.4397625 and 0.8723489. It’s a calculation you could do in your head in a few seconds. But imagine multiplying those two numbers instead. That’s still something you could do in your head but I bet you’d feel happier reaching for a calculator.
Conventional computers have a similar problem. Adding numbers is straightforward but multiplying them is much more intensive.
Stochastic computers change all this. That’s because they represent numbers using probability: as a stream of bits with a certain probability of being a number.
via technology review
February 23, 2012
