Neuromorphic Computing News and Discussions
Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2021 8:51 am
Intel launches 2nd generation neuromorphic chip
8th October 2021
Intel has introduced Loihi 2, its second-generation neuromorphic research chip, featuring eight times the computational neurons compared to the earlier Loihi 1.
Neuromorphic computing is the use of electronic analogue circuits to mimic neurological architectures present in the brain and nervous system. In contrast to digital electronics – where the signals are usually binary (fixed as either "0" or "1") – analogue circuits work with a continuously variable signal. This can provide a tool for scientists to understand the dynamic processes of learning, thinking, and development in the brain. It also enables much greater energy efficiency, speed, and robustness against local failures.
In essence, neuromorphic computers function more like biological brains than traditional computers – and with more and more transistors being packed together onto these chips, the potential for machine consciousness to emerge has been discussed among scholars.
Intel's latest neuromorphic chip, the second-generation Loihi 2, is based on feedback and insights from the Loihi 1, which debuted back in 2017. It contains a million artificial spiking neurons, about eight times that of its predecessor. For a nice visualisation of what a million active neurons look like, see our blog on the new "light beads" microscopy technique that we posted just yesterday.
Loihi 2 is also much more compact, achieving a nearly 50% size reduction. The die area is just 31 mm², compared with 60 mm² for Loihi 1. The neuron state allocation had been fixed at 24 bytes per neuron for the Loihi 1. This is now variable from 0 to 4,096 per neuron for the Loihi 2. The 14 nanometre (nm) process of Loihi 1 has been shrunk down to 7 nm for Loihi 2.
Read more: https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/202 ... meline.htm
8th October 2021
Intel has introduced Loihi 2, its second-generation neuromorphic research chip, featuring eight times the computational neurons compared to the earlier Loihi 1.
Neuromorphic computing is the use of electronic analogue circuits to mimic neurological architectures present in the brain and nervous system. In contrast to digital electronics – where the signals are usually binary (fixed as either "0" or "1") – analogue circuits work with a continuously variable signal. This can provide a tool for scientists to understand the dynamic processes of learning, thinking, and development in the brain. It also enables much greater energy efficiency, speed, and robustness against local failures.
In essence, neuromorphic computers function more like biological brains than traditional computers – and with more and more transistors being packed together onto these chips, the potential for machine consciousness to emerge has been discussed among scholars.
Intel's latest neuromorphic chip, the second-generation Loihi 2, is based on feedback and insights from the Loihi 1, which debuted back in 2017. It contains a million artificial spiking neurons, about eight times that of its predecessor. For a nice visualisation of what a million active neurons look like, see our blog on the new "light beads" microscopy technique that we posted just yesterday.
Loihi 2 is also much more compact, achieving a nearly 50% size reduction. The die area is just 31 mm², compared with 60 mm² for Loihi 1. The neuron state allocation had been fixed at 24 bytes per neuron for the Loihi 1. This is now variable from 0 to 4,096 per neuron for the Loihi 2. The 14 nanometre (nm) process of Loihi 1 has been shrunk down to 7 nm for Loihi 2.
Read more: https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/202 ... meline.htm