TrueNorth: IBM recently unveiled what he calls the world's first neurosynx computer chip, a processor that mimics human brain capabilities and energy efficiency.
The IBM chip is also known as TrueNorth, and could boost the power of a supercomputer with a microprocessor that has the size of a stamp. Instead of solving problems through brute-force mathematical calculations, as do today's processors, it was designed to understand its environment, clarify ambiguity, and take action in real-time moving in that context.
A computer wearing "TrueNorth" is shaped like a human brain. The TrueNorth chip incorporates 5,4 billion transistors, most of which IBM has never used in a chip. It also has 1 million programmable neurons and 256 million programmable synapses. Of course the numbers are much lower than the 100 billion neurons and the 100000 billion to 150 trillion synapses that exist for startups are probably many.
The chip is the basic element of the cognitive programof IBM computers, known as Synapse.
It is still under investigation, and the announcement of the company reports its second generation of design. IBM released the first generation a year ago. While it is still at the prototype stage, we could have its first commercial use after two or three years. Experts believe that an innovation like Synapse TrueNorth could help overcome the boundaries of the von Neumann architecture, the core mathematical system based on virtually every computer built by 1948 onwards.
"It's a remarkable achievement for scalability and low power consumption," Horst Simon, director of the Americas Division of Energy's Berkeley Lab και ειδικός στην science of computers. "IBM's Synapse program is an indicator of change that will occur over the next 10 years."
The new technique that will not be based on von Neumann's architecture could one day give us devices that will understand the world through sight, smell, and hearing, just as one person feels and feels.
IBM plans to roll out TrueNorth - along with a new custom programming language - first to universities and later to business customers.
Imagine what risks such a project might hide.
Future computers that surpass human intelligence have already become a Hollywood movie theme. By trying to create computers that feel and think the same way a human brain thinks, we could expect stand-alone vehicles to work in warehouses, or robots to ensure home or city security.
The project is one of IBM's most significant, which spends $ 6.000.000.000 a year on research and development, and has been launched in recent years. In 2011, the Watson supercomputer defeated the best players of “Jeopardy” in an impressive demonstration of computing power.
But imagine that Watson is the most powerful machine made with von Neumann architecture. It requires more electricity than any home and its technology is outdated….
