Microchips by IBM to be wired like a human brain

IBM, just recently celebrated 30 decades of the reign of the personal computer, and also revealed that they believed the PC trend died some time ago. IBM researches are now, according to reports, making microchips wired to work like a human brain. The basis of this research gained ground about two years ago, when a software algorithm, called BlueMatter was found capable of duplicating the connection patterns of a human brain.

Now, a microchip wired just like this.. (Image source: Getty Images)

What does this mean? Precisely, machines will be able to work close to the way humans do. Processes like learning, interaction, recognition, among others that is fairly a human domain will seem achievable for machines, too. Termed as ‘cognitive computing’, these microchips will be wired in the way human brains are, in order to make it capable to perform human-like activities. The new system aims at making the machines better at two-way interactions, wherein not only will it be able to decipher complex information, but also rewire itself in a way that aids it in interacting better with its surroundings. These chips, which reports suggest are two in number, contain 256 neurons each, connected to each other. The researchers, in the final stages of its development would look at increasing this number to a whopping tens of billions of neurons, which by the way are characteristic of a human brain.

Machines, presently work on the von Neumann style of computing, wherein the chips get slower as the information sources multiply, despite adequate power being supplied. Researchers world over have marveled at the functioning of the human brain, which, even in low power can store massive quantities of information without slowing down.

With the world slowly closing its doors on the personal computers, a newer, faster way of computing such as this should make for an ideal replacement.