The chip runs on the energy equivalent of a hearing aid and unlike most chips, which operate on pre written paths, IBM's version processes data in realtime and is capable of dealing with ambiguity, the company said.
Built on Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co Ltd's 28nm process technology, the chip only consumes 70mW of energy.
According to Dharmendra S. Modha, chief scientist at IBM Research's Brain-Inspired Computing unit, these brain-inspired chips could transform mobility, via sensory and intelligent applications that can fit in the palm of your hand but without the need for Wi-Fi.
The announcement comes one month after IBM unveiled a $3 billion investment over the next five years in chip research and development to find a game-changing breakthrough that can help revive its slumping hardware unit.
According to IBM, the chip could allow a thermometer to scan and smell chemical signals and deliver a diagnosis, or help a search and rescue robot to identify people in need during a disaster. The company believes the chip can handle future advances in memory. The company also says that such chips will allow gadgets to make complex decisions without relying on cloud-based systems.
The breakthrough has been published today in Science (“A million spiking-neuron integrated circuit with a scalable communication network and interface”) in collaboration with Cornell Tech, is a significant step towards bringing cognitive computers to society.
