IBM’s San Jose-based research team has unveiled a groundbreaking computer chip inspired by the human brain. Named NorthPole, this chip promises accelerated AI capabilities by operating more rapidly and using far less power. A distinguishing feature is its ability to reduce the need for constant external memory access, making tasks like image recognition swift and energy efficient.
Damien Querlioz, from the University of Paris-Saclay, praises its remarkable energy efficiency, noting its potential to reshape computer architecture perceptions. The research, showcased in Science, exemplifies the seamless integration of computing and memory at a grand scale.
NorthPole facilitates neural networks, multi-layered computational frameworks designed to detect data patterns. Whereas conventional chips require frequent external memory or RAM access, slowing computations due to the “Von Neumann bottleneck”, NorthPole innovatively integrates 256 cores with their own memory. This design counteracts the bottleneck at the core level.
Dharmendra Modha from IBM, highlights that the chip’s inter-core connectivity is based on the human brain’s white-matter structures. Despite not using the latest manufacturing techniques, NorthPole outperforms existing AI chips in image recognition benchmarks, consuming just one-fifth of their energy. The team believes that integrating advanced manufacturing could amplify its efficiency by 25 times.
However, NorthPole’s memory capacity doesn’t meet the demands of extensive language models like ChatGPT. It’s also restricted to running previously trained neural networks. Nevertheless, its speed makes it a potential candidate for real-time applications such as autonomous vehicles.
In the broader landscape, various innovations are emerging. Some research focuses on in-memory computations using memristors, while others, including a separate IBM Zurich team, explore information storage by altering circuit element’s crystal structures. The scalability and economic viability of these fresh approaches are yet to be determined.