Australian researchers are developing the first supercomputer in history, capable of simulating networks at the speed of the human brain.
An exaflop, or a billion mathematical operations per second, can be processed by the human brain with just 20 watts of power.
Known as the Deepsouth supercomputer, Western Sydney University is in charge of its development.
When it goes online next year, it will be capable of 228 trillion synaptic operations per second, which rivals the estimated rate of operations in the human brain.
“Progress in our understanding of how brains compute using neurons is hampered by our inability to simulate brain-like networks at scale,” André van Schaik, a director at Western Sydney University’s International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems said.
Aiming to build a machine that can equal the human brain, DeepSouth is only one of several research efforts in this direction.
Several scientists are attempting to solve the same issue by developing “biological computers” that run on real brain cells.
