In the coming years the computing power of artificial intelligence will reach and surpass the capabilities of the human brain, consuming a fraction of the energy needed by traditional supercomputers. And the world's first neuromorphic supercomputer could give the process a final boost.
It's called DeepSouth, it's being developed from the University of Sydney and a team of researchers is on the verge of completing it. It will be an AI giant that promises to revolutionize the way we process and understand massive amounts of data.
Towards neuromorphic computing
DeepSouth, you will have understood, is not an ordinary supercomputer. It's a neuromorphic behemoth designed to emulate the human brain's complex network of synapses. His estimated ability to perform 228 trillion synaptic operations per second places it on an equal footing with the human brain, the most efficient learning tool known.
This supercomputer, which (I read from the press release of the Australian University) will go online in April 2024, represents a qualitative leap in the search for more powerful and sustainable computing.
Yes, because DeepSouth faces one of the greatest dilemmas of the modern era: the growing energy needs of AI. With the exponential increase in energy consumption required by AI servers, such as those produced by NVIDIA, energy sustainability has become a critical issue. Once again, however, nature offers a surprising solution. Our brains consume only 20 watts of energy, despite being capable of processing incredibly large amounts of data. Neuromorphic computing aims to replicate this energy efficiency, offering a solution to the energy burden posed by conventional supercomputers.
Multidisciplinary applications
In addition to reducing the energy load, DeepSouth has the ambition to span across different disciplines. Its ability to process large amounts of data at high speeds makes it ideal for applications in areas such as robotics, biomedicine, space research and large-scale AI applications.
Its modular and scalable approach, which makes use of commercially available hardware, allows it to be expanded or reduced based on the specific needs of various tasks. A great engineering and intellectual challenge, no doubt about it.
Artificial intelligence will be a brilliant “roommate”.
DeepSouth is an extraordinary achievement, but it is also an indicator of the direction our society is taking. With artificial intelligence increasingly integrated into our daily lives, the importance of developing systems capable of processing data at near-human levels, but with greater energy efficiency, cannot be underestimated.
Neuromorphic computing marks a new era in computation, no less than quantum computer. The ability to emulate the power and efficiency of the human brain opens up incredible new possibilities in the field of artificial intelligence: it can transform the way we interact with data and understand the world around us.
