IBM unveils cognitive computing chip, to emulate brain's capabilities
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) (NASDAQ:IBM) unveiled Thursday a cognitive computer chip that can emulate the capabilities of the human brain, and may be able to predict disasters before they happen, as well as constantly adapt and rewire itself to its surroundings.
The technology, known as cognitive computing, mimics the brain's neural and synaptic responses through complex algorithms and silicon circuitry.
The chips - not programmed the same way as traditional computers - are expected to learn from experiences, recognize patterns, remember and learn from mistakes. It is a sharp departure from traditional concepts and computer design, IBM said.
Systems built with these cognitive chips may be able to perceive their surroundings in real-time through multiple sensory modes. For example, they could issue tsunami warnings based on their decision making, monitoring the world's water supply through a network of sensors and actuators that constantly record and report metrics such as temperature, pressure, ocean tide, and more.
"Making sense of real-time input flowing at an ever-dizzying rate would be a Herculean task for today's computers, but would be natural for a brain-inspired system," the company said in a statement.
Project leader for IBM Research, Dharmendra Modha, commented: "Imagine traffic lights that can integrate sights, sounds and smells and flag unsafe intersections before disaster happens or imagine cognitive co-processors that turn servers, laptops, tablets, and phones into machines that can interact better with their environments."
With no set programming, the chips mimic the event-driven, parallel-processing abilities found in the brain. The chips do not contain biological elements, as IBM's first cognitive computing prototype chips use digital silicon circuits inspired by neurobiology to make up what is referred to as a "neurosynaptic core", with integrated memory, computation, and communication.
The neurosynaptic chips took three years to develop, and involved IBM, and university researchers with the support of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Collaborators include Columbia University, Cornell University, the University of California, Merced and the University of Wisconsin.
IBM said it has received $21 million in new funding from DARPA to begin phase two of the Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics (SyNAPSE) project.
Its first two prototype chips have already been fabricated, and are currently undergoing testing, IBM said.
Cognitive computing architecture will create a single integrated system of hardware and software, using less power and space than traditional computers.
The team's long-term goal is to build a chip system with ten billion neurons and hundred trillion synapses, while consuming merely one kilowatt of power and occupying less than two liters of volume.
"This is a major initiative to move beyond the von Neumann paradigm that has been ruling computer architecture for more than half a century," added Modha.
The von Neumann paradigm is the design architecture of how a computer should store programs and process data.
Recently, IBM created Watson, a computing system capable of answering questions to complex questions posed in natural language, at rapid speeds. Watson was tested on quiz show Jeopardy in February, in the show's only human-versus-machine match up to date.
In a two-game, combined-point match, broadcast in three episodes, Watson beat Brad Rutter, the biggest all-time money winner on Jeopardy, and Ken Jennings, the record holder for the longest championship streak.
Related news
- London Mining remains on track to hit 2012 production target at Marampa
- Ceres Power Holdings reports significant improvements of its fuel cell products
- Oxford Catalysts Group shares advance as it announces first start-up of FT reactor
- Mariana Resources kicks off drilling programme at Las Calandrias gold-silver project
- Orogen Gold begins Phase 1 drilling programme at Deli Jovan
- Magnolia Petroleum on track to hit 100 wells target by end-2012
- Mwana Africa sells 15pct stake in Freda Rebecca gold mine for $405k - UPDATE
