At first glance, this might look like some sort of ancient computer from the early days of processing. But it turns out it’s actually something very, very modern.
Kate Greene, who uncovered the image, explains:
I’m working on an article about a process called post-silicon debugging, something that chip makers like Intel use to catch problems in chips before they ship them out to computer makers. The goal is to find the sort of bugs that only crop up when a chip is put through the wringer. The wringer, in this case, is a setup that injects electricity into a microprocessor to simulate instructions like spell checking a document.
I can only presume they are doing this for a sample of the entire run of chips, not every individual chip to come off the line.[KateGreene.net]
