Governing Apparatus for Integrated Affairs

The Governing Apparatus for Integrated Affairs, or GAIA, is the Cartadanian Department of Defense's (DoD) interconnected system of management and analytics. It essentially serves as the backbone for Cartadania's modular infrastructure network, monitoring the country's warfare systems, allowing for interconnected data and other key functions to be shared between them.

Development of GAIA began with a need to move from traditional mainframe systems due to the limitations of power on silicon. The large amounts of power drawn from the system were creating multiple issues for the facilities, thus the DoD and DEMR, in collaboration with Erudite's electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, and nanophotonics teams, began R&D on a new system to eliminate these bottlenecks.

GAIA is the central system for the DoD's modular framework system, currently being deployed as Division 6. Division 6 systems expected to include GAIA are the Lussier-class frigate, Spitzer-class destroyer, Luiz Serrano-class aircraft carrier, Aurora Aerospace F-35 Relâmpago, and many other existing systems, as well as all future combat systems.

History

The development of GAIA was closely tied to the advancement of photonic computing. Traditional computing relies on the manipulation of electrical signals through the use of semiconductors made of silicon. However, as computer processing speeds continue to increase, traditional silicon-based computing faces limitations due to issues such as heat dissipation and power consumption. This is where photonic computing became a reality as it pertained to the use in the system. Photonic computing relies on the use of light to manipulate information, which offers several advantages over traditional computing. Light can travel much faster than electrical signals, allowing for faster processing speeds. Additionally, because light doesn't generate as much heat as electricity, photonic computing can potentially be more energy-efficient.

The development of photonic computing was a key factor in the development of GAIA. The project's goal was to create a highly efficient and interconnected system for the Cartadanian Department of Defense, and photonic computing was a crucial element in achieving that goal. By using luminal transistors and microcavities to manipulate light, GAIA was able to achieve unprecedented processing speeds and energy efficiency, making it a powerful tool for managing and analyzing the DoD's warfare systems.

While photonic computing is still in its early stages of development, it has the potential to revolutionize the computing industry and open up new possibilities for fields such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and more. The development of GAIA is just one example of how photonic computing can be used to create powerful and efficient computing systems.

Project Lumen

Project Lumen, later known as GAIA, was a highly classified research and development initiative launched by the Cartadanian Department of Defense in 2017. The project aimed to create a revolutionary computing system that would be faster, more secure, and more energy-efficient than traditional computer systems used in defense and security. The project began with a team of researchers and engineers from the Department of Energy and Mineral Resources and Allocca, led by the Erudite University of Alahuela. The team was given a blank check and access to the most advanced technology available to create a system that would be a game-changer in the defense industry.

The team was faced with many challenges during the development of Project Lumen. One of the biggest hurdles was finding a way to create a system that was faster and more efficient than traditional silicon-based computer systems. This led the team to explore the use of luminal transistors, which were more efficient and faster than silicon transistors. The team also faced challenges related to the security of the system. As a highly classified project, the team had to take extreme measures to ensure that the system's secrets remained safe from prying eyes.

After years of research and development, Project Lumen was finally ready for deployment in 2027, now known as GAIA. Its first deployment was in the Cartadanian military's Lussier-class frigate, and it quickly became clear that GAIA was a game-changer in the defense industry.

Switching systems

GAIA is built around a principal of using luminal transistors as opposed to full silicon. Switching occurs within the systems microcavities, sections composed of thirty-five nanometer thin, organic, semiconducting polymer placed betwen highly reflective inorganic compounds (e.g., glass). It is built in such a way to keep incoming light trapped within for as long as possible in order to stimulate the inbound photons with electric dipole-carrying excitation against the polymer, thus generating polaritons. When the pump laser shines on the switch, the resulting polaritons form a Bose-Einstein condensate, which encode the logic states of the system (i.e., 0 and 1). The condensate is manipulated with a control pulse laser, seeding the condensate to stimulate the energy conversion from the pump laser, boosting the amount of polaritons. The high number of these polaritons in the condensate correspond to the "1" state of the system. Measures taken to increase the efficiency of the system allowed for the maximization of the signal-to-noise level of the system and further prevents an excess of energy from being absorbed by the microcavity, which would only serve to heat it up through molecular vibrations.

An issue faced by the government during the systems development was the use of silicon in the system due to the fact that silicon is photoabsorbent. In the GAIA system, light absorption means signal loss, thus, in order to combat this issue, the GAIA team, in collaboration with engineers from Allocca and the Erudite University of Alahuela employed high-contrast grating, a system of spaced, nanometer-sized silicon posts, spaced such that light may pass between them uninhibited, while light passing against the grating is absorbed.

Deployment in Armed Forces

NMC Spitzer (DDG-91) is one of the first ships to receive GAIA through retrofitting.

GAIA's deployment in the Department of Defense's systems has revolutionized the way the Cartadanian military operates. With GAIA's ability to share radar data and other information across its systems, the military has gained a significant advantage in situational awareness and decision-making. This ability specifically, known as GAIA web, connects nearby systems together, and creates a much larger system when connected with the Cartadanian satellite network, known as GAIA Globe.

Division 6 overhauls

The Lussier-class frigate, Spitzer-class destroyer, and Luiz Serrano-class aircraft carrier are just a few of the existing systems that are currently being retrofitted with GAIA. This integration allows for real-time data sharing and communication between the platforms, improving their overall effectiveness and increasing the speed of response to threats. Additionally, all future combat systems are being designed with GAIA as an integral part of their architecture. This ensures that all new platforms will be able to seamlessly integrate with existing systems, allowing for enhanced interoperability and collaboration.

The sharing of data across GAIA's systems has also led to advancements in predictive maintenance and logistics. By continuously monitoring and analyzing data, GAIA is able to predict when systems may require maintenance, reducing downtime and increasing readiness. Furthermore, GAIA's logistics capabilities allow for better coordination and management of resources, ensuring that the military has what it needs, when it needs it.

Use by other government agencies

While GAIA was primarily developed for and is primarily used by the Cartadanian Department of Defense, its basic framework has also been adopted by other government agencies for their own purposes. For example, the DEMR has integrated GAIA into their monitoring and management systems for energy production and distribution. GAIA's ability to share data and information across systems has been particularly useful in this regard, allowing for a more interconnected and efficient energy network.

Similarly, the Cartadanian Department of Transportation has integrated GAIA into their traffic management systems, allowing for real-time monitoring and adjustment of traffic patterns based on data collected from various sources. The Department of Agriculture has also used GAIA to monitor and manage crop production, using data from various sensors to optimize growing conditions and increase yields.