A highly parallel computing system for information retrieval

Abstract

The tremendous expansion in the volume of recorded knowledge and the desirability of more sophisticated retrieval techniques have resulted in a need for automated information retrieval systems. However, the high cost, in programming and running time, implied by such systems has prevented their widespread use. This high cost stems from a mismatch between the problem to be solved and the conventional architecture of digital computers, optimized for performing serial operations on fixed-size arrays of data.