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The European Network on High Performance and Embedded Architecture and Compilation (HiPEAC) has released a new 137-page report advocating for ‘the reinvention of computing.’

Meeting at HiPEAC 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden, the authors of the ‘HiPEAC Vision 2017’ argued that we are entering a ‘Centaur Era’, an age in which the borders between the traditional roles of man and machine will start to be erased.

Koen De Bosschere, professor at the Engineering Faculty of Ghent University, Belgium, and co-ordinator of the HiPEAC network, said: “Computers as we know them are disappearing from view.

“The evolution from desktop PC will not stop at smartphone and tablet: the devices and systems that will allow us to automate key infrastructures, such as transport, power grids and monitoring of medical conditions, are bringing us into the age of artificial intelligence. This does not mean man-sized robots, but smart devices that we programme and then interact with, such as intelligent personal assistants and self-driving vehicles.”

Lead author of the Vision Report Marc Duranton of CEA, France, added:  “We find ourselves at a crossroads, as our current way of making computers and their associated software is reaching the limitations of what they can achieve in an ever-changing environment.

“What we now describe as ‘cyber-physical systems’ – such as self-driving cars – entangle the cyber and physical worlds. The increasing use of the artificial intelligence required to make them work means that we, the humans, really need to invent solutions so that we can trust systems and develop better ways to cope with the challenges of safety, security, privacy, energy efficiency and increasing complexity. It really is the right time to reinvent computing.”