The impact of optics on data and knowledge base systems

The authors assess the possible impact of optics on database and knowledge base systems, focusing on storage, interconnection, and processing. Various types of optical disks and page-oriented holographic memories are discussed. In the interconnection section, data communication is discussed at a variety of levels. Under processing, applications involving optical content addressable memories, optical data/knowledge base machines, and optics applied to full text processing will be optoelectronic, with easy technology providing its strength to the problem under consideration. It is noted that optical interconnection is superior to electronic interconnection in many cases and that the rapid advance of optical storage holds the potential of hundreds of megabytes per second data rates from a single storage unit. It is noted that optical processing holds considerable promise but lags behind primarily because digital optical device development is in its infancy