Artificial Intelligence May Soon Predict How Electronics Fail - ELE Times

In the latest study, researchers mapped out the physics of small building blocks made up of atoms, then used machine learning techniques to estimate how larger structures created from those same building blocks might behave. It's a bit like looking at a single Lego brick to try to predict the strength of a much larger castle. It's a pursuit that could be a boon for the electronics that underpin our daily lives, from smartphones and electric cars to emerging quantum computers. One day, engineers could use the team's methods to pinpoint in advance weak points in the design of electronic components. The project is part of a larger focus on how the world of very small things, such as the wiggling of atoms, can help people build new and more efficient computers--even ones that take their inspiration from human brains. Artem Pimachev, a research associate in aerospace engineering at CU Boulder, is a co-author of the new study.