Through this “copy and paste” approach, the authors envision creating a chip that approximates the unique computing features of the brain
Samsung has signaled that it wants to develop chips that will maintain the brain’s neuron wiremap through a “copy and paste” method.
The South Korean company introduced a new approach to reverse engineering the brain on a memory chip in a paper co-authored with Harvard University researchers published in the journal Nature Electronics .
The study suggests a way to copy the brain’s neural connection map using a nanoelectrode array developed by scientists and paste this map into a high-density three-dimensional network of solid-state memory chips .
The copied neural map can be ‘pasted’ into a network of non-volatile memories, such as commercial flash memories that are used in our everyday lives in solid state drives (SSDs) , or ‘new’ memories such as resistive random access memories ( RRAM).
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Since the human brain has approximately 100 billion neurons and a thousand times more synaptic connections, the ultimate neuromorphic chip will require 100 trillion memories. The integration of such a large number of memories on a single chip would be possible thanks to 3D memory integration, the technology led by Samsung that opened a new era for the memory industry.
Samsung plans to continue its research in neuromorphic engineering, in order to achieve leadership in the field of next-generation artificial intelligence semiconductors .
“The vision we present is very ambitious,” said Dr. Donhee Ham, a fellow at the Samsung Institute for Advanced Technology (SAIT) and a professor at Harvard University. “But working toward such a heroic goal will push the boundaries of artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and semiconductor technology.”