Landmark ‘Brain-Inspired’ Computer Chip Unveiled

A team of US researchers in partnership with IBM have unveiled a new computer chip which promises to significantly close the gap between computers and biological systems.

Unveiled in the academic journal Science earlier this year, the computer chip - dubbed TrueNorth - offers a major shift in technology towards computer architectures which excel at abstract pattern recognition rather than sequential or mathematical computation.

The chip is the result of several years of research, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) who initiated a programme in 2008 called SyNAPSE to encourage research into the development of electronic systems which mimic the biological brain in size, function, and power consumption.

According to SyNAPSE, the artificial brain should recreate 10 billion neurons, 100 trillion synapses, consume one kilowatt of power and occupy less than two litres of space. IBM’s TrueNorth is a pioneering effort which delivers a 1 million neuron “brain-inspired” processor chip.

Beyond the Traditional Processor

The traditional computer processor follows the architecture of its co-creator John von Neumann, where values are represented as binary - a series of ones and zeroes - and data is distributed and stored between the machine’s memory and central processing unit (CPU). With the memory and CPU independent of one another, data is transferred continuously in order for the computer to carry out tasks, thus creating a bottleneck and requiring a lot of energy.

In addition, the narrow representation of the world as either a one or a zero is an architectural model which makes computers exceptionally good at logical operations and arithmetic, but insufficient at noticing patterns in large volumes of data.

Senior project leader Dr. Dharmendra Modha said, “Unlike the prevailing von Neumann architecture - but like the brain - TrueNorth has a parallel, distributed, modular, scalable, fault-tolerant, flexible architecture that integrates computation, communication, and memory and has no clock.”

IBM’s approach is radically different to the traditional processor: the chip consists of a network of neurosynaptic processor cores which mimic the neurons of the brain. When active, the “neuron” or core inputs generate a spike which transfers to other cores, much like a pulsing pattern that scientists believe happens in the brain.

Smarter Technologies

The potential developments surrounding IBM’s new technology are extremely exciting, and they are busy working to ensure that an end-to-end ecosystem is available to researchers and Universities for collaboration.

There are many speculations surrounding the future and potential applications of the technology, which IBM hopes will solve a range of problems, including multisensory fusion and computation capabilities which are normally restricted by processing speed and power.

The team behind TrueNorth has already started work with iniLabs Ltd., integrating their chip with IniLab’s spike-producing retinal camera to create an “extremely low-power end-to-end vision system”.

Dr. Dharmendra Modha anticipates major technological benefits, including glasses to guide visually impaired people and machines which aid searches in disaster areas. He said, “We are not there yet. Indeed, TrueNorth is a direction and not a destination! The end goal is building intelligent business machines that enable a cognitive planet, while transforming industries.”

Another Success for IBM

This isn’t the only project IBM is involved in. IBM launched a new laboratory in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, last year. And, they also backed the recent European Metrology Research Programme’s Nanostrain project, which produced many developments - including the first Piezoelectric-Effect-Transistor (PET), a new digital switch with the potential to offer increased speed, reduced micro-chip size and lower power consumption.