The computer chips of the future should be sustainable and biodegradable, yet powerful.
Scientists of Washington State University (WSU) work on one Computerchip real honey. Because according to the researchers, the natural substance might be the key to environmentally friendly “Neuromophen Computing” be.
Neuromorphic computing mimics our thinking apparatus – the systems are designed to work in the same way as the human brain, only much faster. In concrete terms, this type of computing simulates the function of the neurons in the brain. Because the human brain can efficiently perform different and diverse tasks – an artificial intelligence, on the other hand, usually follows a special task.
Memristor as thin as a human hair
With honey, these “biological computers”, whose processors are supposed to learn autonomously, might not only become more ecological, but also extremely powerful. The WSU researchers have a working so-called Memristor built of honey thin as a human hair.
It is an electronic component that can provide an unprecedented high-performance type of electronic circuits. Similar to the human brain, a memristor can both process and store data. It is almost comparable to a human neuron.
billion memristors needed
The memristor was placed between two metal electrodes – this construct is intended to simulate a human synapse. Tests have shown that the honey memristor actually mimics human synapses. The system might turn itself on and off between 100 and 500 nanoseconds.
In order for it to be able to fulfill its future purpose at all, however, it has to be produced on an even smaller scale. The aim is to create a memristor that is a thousand times thinner than a human hair. It will take millions or even billions of memristors to subsequently create a complete, powerful neuromorphic computing system. The human brain consists of more than 100 billion neurons.
Biodegradable
One of the advantages of honey is that bacteria cannot survive in it. That would make the computer chips robust. Should they eventually reach their end of life, they can simply be dissolved in water. Future components would thus be sustainable, biodegradable and extremely efficient.
The study was Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics released.