AI is already an integral part of everyday technology, but there are still some barriers in the way of truly advanced AI. Samsung is now working on an exciting new approach that gives associations to science fiction stories.
The South Korean technology giant, in collaboration with researchers from Harvard University in the United States of America, He has a project in progress Which involves “copying” the human brain onto a computer chip – thus bringing AI many steps forward.
100 billion neurons
The approach involves using so-called reverse engineering on the human brain to get to the bottom of how it is assembled, to simulate the architecture and operation of a computer chip.
The method is described in technical detail in a research document published by the journal Science temper nature (requires payment).
Admittedly, the idea itself isn’t entirely new, and there are other AI concepts that draw inspiration from the way the brain works, but in this case it’s about more direct modeling of the brain.
This is a demanding job because the human brain is made up of an extremely wide network of about a hundred billion neurons and a thousand times more synapses, called synapses. In this regard, Samsung and the research team are planning to use what they themselves refer to as a revolutionary device – the nanoelectrode array.
Piece “Neuromorphic”
These nanoelectrodes should be able to detect electrical signals from brain cells with very high sensitivity, and use them to map where neurons connect to each other and how strong the connections are. In this way, an overview of the structure used to be recreated in a piece is configured.
Of course, this is not an ordinary computer chip, but a so-called “neural” chip that uses a different type of Samsung’s 3D memory architecture. Neuroprocessing is also being worked on by many other actors, It was mentioned in previous articles here on digi.no (subscription required).
What the researchers envision is using this approach to develop a new type of memory chip that approximates the brain’s unique characteristics, characteristics such as low energy consumption, the ability to adapt to different environments, and learning without significant difficulties, not least of which is independence and cognitive abilities.
It remains to be seen whether the piece will become a reality, and the researchers admit that the vision is very ambitious. However, Samsung said it will continue to research the technology, so one fine day we’ll likely see results – in one form or another.
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