As we delve deeper into the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), there is an increasingly greater stress on creating human brain-like circuits. A new circuit called ‘Neurogrid‘ is a significant step towards that goal as it imitates brain and is 9000 times faster than current computers.
The problem with current computers is simply that they are too slow and they consume a whole lot of power. In their current form, these computers can’t be used to create efficient AI components. This is precisely why Boahen and his team endeavored to create a highly-efficient and fast circuit.
The team was funded by the National Institute of Health and was successful in creating an ultra-smart circuit board. Neurogrid, the final product of the whole effort, is 9000 times faster than the current computers, whereas these computers draw 40,000 times more power than the Neurogrid.
The Neurogrid itself comprises of 16 custom-designed Neurocore chips which, in collaboration, are able to simulate 1 million neurons as well as billions of synaptic connections. The only problem with Neurogrid, in its present state, is that it costs a whopping $40,000. But Boahen and his team are very hopeful that the costs will drop soon.
He further wants to create a compiler software for Neurogrid, one which can be used with perfect ease by the common users. According to him, “Right now, you have to know how the brain works to program one of these. We want to create a neurocompiler so that you would not need to know anything about synapses and neurons to able to use one of these.”
As ambitious as this may seem, Boahen and his team certainly seem to know what they are doing. And they have already achieved some very challenging goals. If he is able to bring down the costs of Neurogrid from $40,000 all the way to $400, like he claims is possible, this would make Neurogrid a brilliant tool in the prosthetic industry.
Courtesy: Daily Mail
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