Using just 20 watts of power, the human brain is capable of processing the equivalent of an exaflop — or a billion-billion mathematical operations per second. Now, researchers in Australia are building what will be the world’s first supercomputer that can simulate networks at this scale.
DeepSouth supercomputer – the world’s first computer designed to emulate the parallel biological neural networks of the human brain itself. Developed by scientists at Western Sydney University’s International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems, DeepSouth utilizes breakthrough neuromorphic hardware and software that mimics neurons and synapses to achieve unprecedented efficiency.
The DeepSouth supercomputer distributes processing across a network of bespoke brain-inspired chips, unlike traditional supercomputers based on von Neumann designs.
This enables DeepSouth to carry out a staggering 228 trillion synaptic operations per second, rivaling estimates for the human brain’s processing speed. Yet it requires far less space and power than conventional systems.
This new generation of brain-inspired supercomputing not only could make sci-fi applications an everyday reality but even more scary is the fact that they could someday create a cyborg brain vastly more powerful than our own.
The prospect of entities, whether humans or AI (robots), equipped with cyborg brains is becoming increasingly plausible, paving the way for a profound shift in the hierarchy of Earth’s dominant species.