User Tools

Site Tools


intercore

InterCore is currently the sole Megacorporation operating out of Iridia system, and one of the largest Megacorporations in Recom space. InterCore (or IC for short) produces a vast line of products, from household tools and utensils to military hardware and beyond. The corporation is a leader in advanced avionics, weapons systems, and modular ship components. Since the turn of the 23rd century, IC has directed significant R&D funding to advancements of Artificial Intelligence systems which has propelled the corporation to one of the premier developers of cutting-edge machine intelligences.

InterCore is classified as a Corponation (sic) under Iridian law; a Corponation exists as a distinct legal and territorial entity from the Inarian government. This status allows the corporation the ability to draft and enforce its own laws independent of the Iridian government, as well as permission to assemble a defensive armed force. The corporation retains extremely close ties to the Iridian government and has been a considerable driving force behind the development of Oceania since its first settlements were founded. Corporate citizens are granted dual-citizenship between InterCore and Iridia, and while it is generally considered a matter of pride to refer to themselves a member of InterCore first, most politically-minded corporate citizens tend to remain involved with Iridian politics just as actively as corporate affairs.

Some vocal opponents of InterCore claim that the corporation controls the Iridian government. This is a common misconception. In fact, InterCore holds just one of the seats in the governing body of Iridia, as well as seats within the Oceanian Development Board and Iridian Defensive Council. InterCore's legal status and involvement with the government is owed primarily to the history of development initiatives and significant funding directed to public services such as education and health care during the settlement, development, and industrialization of Oceania.

InterCore operates and maintains small merchant, defensive, and scientific fleets of comparable size and composition to other Megacorporate entities. The majority of these ships are merchant vessels, though defensive escorts are available for protection in hostile territory or defense from pirate attacks. A small but potent scientific fleet permits long-term research of remote locations, with ships capable of deploying in excess of one year without requiring resupply.

After the disaster in Alpha Dome on Luna and underscored by the political unrest on Mars which followed shortly after, InterCore announced plans to develop a hospital ship. While few details have been released, design specifications call for a full-service orbital hospital and triage center, accompanied by atmosphere-capable landing craft which can provide field hospital services in virtually any planetary environment.

Artificial Intelligence

InterCore has long supported the development of machine intelligences, though it was not until the late 22nd century that the corporation began directing significant funding towards the advancements of artificial intelligence. InterCore markets a diverse line of AI cores as well as control and task modules for these systems, and is a recognized leader in the development of protoype systems. InterCore is one of few manufacturers to produce quantum-based AI systems, and often designs custom systems commissioned for special-purpose applications.

Perseus

Perseus is an AI stationed onboard the Janice Hazen, the flagship of the InterCore fleet. Perseus was state-of-the-art at the time of the Hazen's refit in the late 2100s and remains a venerable ship control system compared to smaller craft. While AIs fitted to more recent capital ships have eclipsed Perseus's performance, InterCore scientists project that hardware and system upgrades will keep the system operating efficiently and competitively for at least another decade. The AI is tasked with monitoring and controlling nearly every ship system autonomously, and in emergency situations is capable of operating the ship without a crew (maintenance issues aside). Perseus is outfitted with only a basic personality sim module.

Prophecy

Operation Prophecy was a secret project developed by InterCore to develop a next-generation AI. While most AIs of the time coupled powerful hardware with software that was capable of making educated decisions and rewriting itself to “learn,” InterCore researchers took a different route. In the past, nanotech AIs were capable of internally reconfiguring their hardware which gave them a powerful computational advantage; however, due to the public opposition of nanotechnology, developing such nanotechnology would be a risky venture. Prophecy breaks this limitation by utilizing a vast network of programmable logic processors (not unlike a modern-day FPGA). Although this system is perhaps not quite as efficient as a nanotechnological approach, Prophecy's ability to generate its own advanced hardware-level logic gives it a significant learning capacity, and is capable of expanding its knowledge organically.

InterCore unveiled Prophecy to the public in early 2202, and to this day it is still recognized as one of the leading machine intelligences in Recom space. Prophecy provides significant assistance for in-house scientific and R&D projects for InterCore, and processing time is also leased to other companies for scientific research. Students studying computer science in Oceanian universities enjoy free (though restricted) access to the AI as well.

The success of Operation Prophecy has led to an even more ambitious off-shoot of the AI, the Pathos Project.

Hold your horses! I do technical documentation for a living so this is a lot like actual work for me!Devik Sez: This is just a quick and dirty page until I can get together something more coherent and nicely laid out. More information to come later; stay tuned.
intercore.txt · Last modified: 2011/06/10 08:37 by devik