5 ms·

A universal system for decoding any type of data sent across a network

51 points by gigama 5y ago

gigama 5y ago
"While the noise appears random in nature, it has a probabilistic structure that allows the algorithm to guess what it might be." "The researchers tested the GRAND chip and found it could effectively decode any moderate redundancy code up to 128 bits in length, with only about a microsecond of latency."
anfilt 5y ago
What about FPGA's it's a chip capable of decoding any data sent across a network and correcting errors! /s I guess the clever part here with this algorithm is that it tries to figure error correction automatically instead of having to have someone make a design like on a fpga.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
ivan_ah 5y ago
Journal paper: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8630851 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8630851 PDF: https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/129702/1802.07010.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y#page=2 https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/129702/1802.0... Also conf paper: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9517890 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9517890 for which PDF can be obtained via scholar: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Managing+Noise+and+Interference+Separately-Multiple+Access+Channel+Decoding+using+Soft+GRAND&btnG= https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Mana...
rlili 5y ago
I can't help but think that this would be primarily used for censorship and breaking net neutrality.
- nieve 5y ago
  They mean decoding at the level of extracting a signal & correcting errors in it from being sent across a wire, fiber, or broadcast. This is not the cracking encryption meaning of decoding.
- phyzome 5y ago
  The terms "coding" and "decoding" here are very specific terms of art, as it turns out. It's a confusing headline even for a general programmer audience.
- Iv 5y ago
  China's great firewall has been using statistical analysis to kill connections that it suspects to be unauthorized encrypted channels.
FounderBurr 5y ago
I tested this article and found it free of both errors and information.
junon 5y ago
What a poorly worded title. For those browsing, this is referring to error codes and the like.
- gigama 5y ago
  If you're not familiar with information theory, hamming codes, data compression, and the like, the title might be misread as "decryption." Sorry, nothing to do with breaking ciphers. The article is about a new chip that can efficiently process lossless coding across different transmission algorithms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_theory
JPLeRouzic 5y ago
I find a part of the subtitle a bit self-contradictory: "New chip eliminates the need for specific decoding hardware"
- bandedetrappes 5y ago
  I think what the author means is 'new chip could be used as a single decoding circuit instead of having a chip combining all the protocols and algorithms'.

51 points by gigama 5y ago

"While the noise appears random in nature, it has a probabilistic structure that allows the algorithm to guess what it might be." "The researchers tested the GRAND chip and found it could effectively decode any moderate redundancy code up to 128 bits in length, with only about a microsecond of latency."

anfilt 5y ago

What about FPGA's it's a chip capable of decoding any data sent across a network and correcting errors! /s I guess the clever part here with this algorithm is that it tries to figure error correction automatically instead of having to have someone make a design like on a fpga.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

ivan_ah 5y ago

Journal paper: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8630851 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8630851 PDF: https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/129702/1802.07010.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y#page=2 https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/129702/1802.0... Also conf paper: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9517890 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9517890 for which PDF can be obtained via scholar: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Managing+Noise+and+Interference+Separately-Multiple+Access+Channel+Decoding+using+Soft+GRAND&btnG= https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Mana...

rlili 5y ago

I can't help but think that this would be primarily used for censorship and breaking net neutrality.

nieve 5y ago
They mean decoding at the level of extracting a signal & correcting errors in it from being sent across a wire, fiber, or broadcast. This is not the cracking encryption meaning of decoding.
phyzome 5y ago
The terms "coding" and "decoding" here are very specific terms of art, as it turns out. It's a confusing headline even for a general programmer audience.
Iv 5y ago
China's great firewall has been using statistical analysis to kill connections that it suspects to be unauthorized encrypted channels.

FounderBurr 5y ago

I tested this article and found it free of both errors and information.

junon 5y ago

What a poorly worded title. For those browsing, this is referring to error codes and the like.

gigama 5y ago
If you're not familiar with information theory, hamming codes, data compression, and the like, the title might be misread as "decryption." Sorry, nothing to do with breaking ciphers. The article is about a new chip that can efficiently process lossless coding across different transmission algorithms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_theory

JPLeRouzic 5y ago

I find a part of the subtitle a bit self-contradictory: "New chip eliminates the need for specific decoding hardware"

bandedetrappes 5y ago
I think what the author means is 'new chip could be used as a single decoding circuit instead of having a chip combining all the protocols and algorithms'.