Science & Technology

Computer chip can think like a human brain

By T.K. Randall
August 9, 2014 ·  17 comments

IBM has been developing computers for decades. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 Jeff Golden The concept of creating a 'thinking' computer has been the dream of computer engineers and futurists for years and while this latest development doesn't quite achieve that goal it does open up the door to a whole new way of performing complex tasks using computers.

The size of a postage stamp, the new chip contains 5.4 billion transistors and is capable of simulating 1 million neurons and 256 million neural connections.The chip can either be used to simulate the brain's processing on its own or it can be connected together with several other chips similar to how circuits are linked inside our brains.

"We have not built a brain," said study leader Dharmendra Modha. "What we have done is learn from the brain's anatomy and physiology."

Engineers are hoping that the newly developed chip will prove invaluable in the performing of complex tasks, such as facial recognition, that conventional computers tend to struggle with.

Source: Live Science | Comments (17)

Tags: IBM, Computer, Brain