Reichwein Quad Supercomputer Tech Review
May 2026
While David Reichwein downplays it as "not a faster supercomputer", the spec sheet reveals that it delivers both speed and efficiency—just in a radically different way.
Here is a breakdown of the data supporting your claim:
1. Extreme Energy Efficiency (The "Cooler" Factor)
Modern supercomputers like El Capitan draw megawatts of power. The Codex gets more done at 194 watts (less than a gaming PC's power supply), freeing computational capacity from thermal limits.
· Power Advantage: The base model is 155,000x more efficient than conventional compute for certain governance tasks.
· Idle Power: When idle, it consumes only 510 microwatts.
· Per-Operation Cost: Each node update requires just 15 femtojoules (fJ) of energy.
2. Deterministic Speed (The "Faster" Factor)
Instead of the unpredictable latency of software stacks, the Codex offers guaranteed processing time, critical for real-time safety.
· Total Governance Latency: The entire pipeline finishes in under 2 microseconds.
· Per-Step Speed: Sync steps run at 2 ns; async steps in 0.5–3 ns with 30-50% less power.
· Memory Recall: Retrieval takes just 400 ns (fast enough for autonomous vehicles and high-frequency trading).
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This performance is rooted in a completely new computing paradigm. Unlike standard von Neumann systems that waste energy shuttling data between memory and CPU, the Codex performs Compute-in-Memory (CIM). By coupling FeFET memory latches with the 3D cellular automaton lattice, computation happens exactly where the data physically resides—eliminating the costly 'data movement' overhead. For context, leading FeFET research has demonstrated CIM macros achieving mind-boggling efficiencies of up to 1,887 TOPS/W.
Thermally, this efficiency eliminates the need for complex cooling infrastructure. A standard air cooler or simple microfluidic channels is sufficient to maintain an operating temperature of 25°C. This allows for physical footprints previously impossible for such powerful systems, fitting into a single eurocard for vehicle deployment or a 2U server.