Written by: Abdel Rahman Al-Kardousi
Computing technology is nearing the ability to simulate the capabilities of the human brain, as evidenced by the development of the world’s first supercomputer capable of simulating networks at the scale of the human brain. The human brain, operating on just 20 watts of power, can perform the equivalent of an exaflop, or a billion-billion mathematical operations per second.
This groundbreaking supercomputer, named DeepSouth, is currently being developed by Western Sydney University in Australia. Once operational in the coming year, it will be capable of executing 228 trillion synaptic operations per second, rivaling the estimated operation rate of the human brain.
The purpose of DeepSouth is to enhance our understanding of how the brain efficiently processes vast amounts of information with minimal power consumption. This research could potentially lead to the creation of a significantly more powerful cyborg brain in the future and revolutionize our comprehension of brain functionality.
André van Schaik, a director at Western Sydney University’s International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems, stated, “Our progress in comprehending how the brain computes using neurons is hindered by our inability to simulate brain-like networks on a large scale. Simulating spiking neural networks on standard computers using Graphics Processing Units and multicore Central Processing Units is just too slow and power-intensive. Our system will change that.”
Ralph Etienne-Cummings from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who is not directly involved in the project, expressed that DeepSouth will be a game-changer for neuroscience research. He stated, “If you are trying to understand the brain, this will be the hardware to do it on.”
Etienne-Cummings further highlighted that two main groups of researchers will be interested in this technology: those studying neuroscience and those aiming to prototype new engineering solutions in the AI field.
DeepSouth is just one of several research projects pursuing the development of a machine that can rival the capabilities of the human brain.