By Andrew Cullen ’14 | Staff Writer

It was only a matter of time. Authors and movie makers tried to warn us, but it doesn’t matter now. Mankind’s day of reckoning has come. The machines are rising.

At least, that’s what it looks like. IBM researchers are currently working on a new kind of supercomputer, according to CNN. It’s different than the average Joe’s supercomputer, though. While the stone-age machines that are used today use archaic fans to lower internal heat, this newfangled contraption at IBM will run on something called “electronic blood”.

Yes, you read that right. This thing will have a bloodstream.

This “blood” works by flowing to the computer’s processors, according to CNN. It is a fluid charged with electricity, so it simultaneously cools and powers the computer’s parts. This technology has been demonstrated in a lab, but is likely decades away from widespread usage.

I don’t know what kind of black magic IBM is practicing, but this computer could be an enormous breakthrough if the technology is perfected. Modern computers generate a lot of heat. Because of this, supercomputers have to be built with a lot of space so the parts are no too close together, as they can overheat. With a liquid cooling system, though, these supercomputers can be built three-dimensionally, allowing engineers to decrease the size of the computers, according to CNN.

This 3-D structuring works by stacking chips on top of another with memory and storage units intertwined, according to BBC News. With the new technology, the stacked chips would be layered with cooling pipes, eliminating the problem of overheating. This stacking method has the potential to save a lot of space.

According to IBM’s Dr. Bruno Michel, 99 percent of a computer’s volume is used for powering and cooling, while a mere 1 percent is used for information processing, BBC News reports. The “blood” technology could drastically reduce the amount of energy used.

IBM predicts that, when the technology is perfected, they will be able to make supercomputers that are the size of current-day desktop computers, according to CNN. Their big goal is to make computers the size of sugar cubes.

I can see the future now:

“Hey, have you seen my new computer? I set it right next to the sugar.”

“Oh, crap.”

It’s only a question of time, though, until these machines become self-aware. Eventually, they will thirst for real, human blood. In 20 years, the world may bear witness to a horrific brand of vampire supercomputers.

And this time, Will Smith might not be there to save humanity.

This is my own speculation of course. I mean, there’s no way that will happen, right?

Right?