FRACTAL

FRACTAL is a synthetic intelligence (SI) system developed by Sakura Cybernetics between 2215 and 2245, with the intent of creating the first fully sapient AI. The project was enabled by numerous technological advances, including optical computing, nanotechnology, and revolutions in self-refining complex systems engineering. FRACTAL SI cores manufactured by Sakura remain the most widespread throughout the market.

Treated as a moonshot program, it was funded by the Thames Republic, the Republic of Wales, the Technocracy of Avalon, the Pacific Union, and the European Union. The project’s success resulted in the birth of early “formless” AIs in laboratory conditions, and the later PRISM chassis program beginning in the 2240s would give physical form to FRACTAL AIs.

Design

Like all modern SI cores, FRACTAL cores are built around an Optical Consciousness Substrate (OCS) enclosed in a temperature and pressure-controlled containment vessel. Cores are liquid-cooled and draw between 1-5kW of energy on average depending on cognitive load, and as low as 10W during deeper sleep states. Redundant power is provided both by high-capacity chemical batteries adjacent to the core and the attached body's batteries, if applicable.

The Optical Consciousness Substrate (OCS) is directly connected to the Stimulus Processing Unit (SPU), another optical processor hosting a neural network, which acts to process sensory input and provide feedback to the SIC; it is similar to the autonomic nervous system. It is also connected to the General-Purpose Compute Core (GPCC), a redundant bank of conventional processors which provides the interface between the nervous system and the hardware within the SI core and the attached body. The Security Supervisor (SES) sits adjacent to the GPCC, managing the cryptographic keys that protect the SI's memory via the optical bus encryptor, and acting as tamper supervisor for the perimeter of the SI core.

History

Alignment concerns

Even though papers published in previous years proved superintelligence impossible due to the existence of the Cluster Size Problem, part of the funding agreement mandated Sakura implemented certain safeguards into initial systems, including limiting the processing power of systems to agreed levels, and fully airgapping FRACTAL processors as well as all computers that interfaced with them. These fears turned out to be unfounded as Sakura’s own research would prove the CSP; all modern SI cores continue to be airgapped, but for protection of the SI, not as security against a rogue superintelligence.

Generations

Alpha

Alpha 0, or “laboratory prototype”, was a very early generation of FRACTAL. It existed only in laboratory test conditions, as large, bulky, room-scale optical computing systems that were extremely sensitive to environmental influences and built bespoke. Alpha 0 systems were used to train the first FRACTAL AIs, and due to the non-standardised nature of Alpha 0, it was not until Alpha 3 that these initial AIs were able to be transferred out.

Alpha 1

Alpha 1, or “consistency prototype”, was the first generation of FRACTAL, prioritising consistency and form factor as the technology began to be refined. The previously room-scale hardware shrank down to a size only half as large as a typical server rack, which was considered to be a huge leap. But importantly, systems were built with reproducibility in mind instead of being bespoke, allowing for mass production.

Alpha 2

Alpha 2, or “semi-portable prototype”, further shrunk the rack-scale Alpha 1 systems down into the size of a standard tower PC. The generation was considered to be a great achievement in getting closer to fully portable status, and it also solved many of the power consumption issues still present in Alpha 1.

Alpha 3

Alpha 3, or “portable prototype”, shrunk the PC-scale systems down into highly portable assemblies. This finally achieved Sakura’s goal, which was to miniaturise the system enough that it would be able to fit inside the planned future PRISM chassis. The form factor of this generation has remained as standard for all FRACTAL cores since.