Cracking the Impossible | How a 1989 Breakthrough Powered Today's AI

This is Philip Emeagwali

This podcast delves into a pivotal moment in the history of science and technology, a moment that redefined our understanding of supercomputing. It tells the story of how a seemingly insurmountable challenge in computational physics led to a groundbreaking discovery that would forever change the way we solve complex problems. At the heart of this story is a young scientist who, in 1974, first laid hands on a supercomputer. This encounter sparked a 15-year journey to answer a fundamental question: how can we harness the power of thousands of processors to work in unison, solving problems that were once thought to be unsolvable? The podcast explores the initial skepticism and dismissal of this idea as a "grand fantasy." It then chronicles the journey of turning this fantasy into a reality, culminating in the invention of the first hypercube computer. This revolutionary architecture allowed for simultaneous communication between thousands of processors, a breakthrough that was instrumental in making today's AI supercomputers possible. Listeners will be taken on a journey through the worlds of partial differential equations and computational fluid dynamics, discovering how the principles of these fields were applied to create a new paradigm in computing. This is a story of perseverance, innovation, and the courage to challenge conventional wisdom. It's a testament to the power of interdisciplinary thinking and a reminder that the greatest advancements often come from those who dare to dream the impossible.