Chris: As I expected, the MPP systems you mention are not even close to the architecture of a human brain.
Systems can be built from 2 to 4080 processors where each processor has its own main memory and communicates with others via a SAN (Servernet).
What you are describing is no more than a big LAN-like system. The array processors used by NSA for code cracking, and for various relaxation calculations (EG: Weather forecasting and other partial differential equation processing) are closer to the architecture of the human brain, but fall short of the architecture required for AI.
You missed the point of the example I gave of recognizing a human face. Computer algorithms take longer to respond with a
not known response than the time required for a recognizable hit. This is because the computer algorithms require checking every index entry or (worst case) every item to decide that a pattern is unknown. The human brain often replies faster with a
not known response than for a pattern not seen for a long time.
When I go to a college or high school reunion, I almost immediately catalogue the ones I never saw before (they graduated before or after I attended), but I often take several seconds to recognize the more obscure members of my own class. Similarly, when I see an old movie on TV, I usually can immediately identify some actors as those I never saw, but often take more time to decide that I once saw some actor with a minor part who never made it in a significant role. All the computer algorithms of which I am aware take longer to respond when the pattern is unknown. This definitely suggests a fundamentally different algorithm for human versus computer pattern recognition.
Again, I point out that the human brain does not have data memory distinct from processing functions, while all current mainstream computers do have memory data, file (or database) information), and processing (program) data as distinct entities. The human mind does the equivalent of rewiring the hardware to store new data, while the computer merely adds data to a file or a section of memory used for data storage. Data and programs are germixed in the human brain in a fashion fundamentally different from that of current computer architecture. There are some primitive attempts at neural network architecture which might develop into a suitable AI architecture, but there is nothing that remotely functions the way a human brain does.
BTW: I expect true AI to be developed someday: In 10-20 years if some genius comes up with a revolutionary idea; In 50-200 years if it is done due to slogging along by people who are just very intelligent and focused.
At present, we do not have a clear understanding of what functions are
hard wired into the human brain. It has only been about 30-40 years since we discovered the basic nature of the mechanism built into bird brains for seasonal navigation. Experiments in planetariums have shown that many migrating birds have hard wired functions for noticing the point around which the stars seem to rotate (Polaris for several thousand years).
Until we have a far better understanding of the human brain, we are unlikely to build an AI device. In any event, I do not expect it to have an architecture similar to any current computer system. More memory and an array of faster CPU’s is not going to do the job. A single blazingly fast CPU will not even come close. At present neural network architectures looks like the best bet, but the best of these are primitive.