Argonne Team Looks to Insect Brains as Models for Computer Chip Innovation

Scientists at the Energy Department's Argonne National Laboratory have pioneered a cutting-edge neuromorphic computer chip--modeled off the brains of bees, fruit flies and other insects--that can rapidly learn, adapt and use substantially less power than its conventional computer chip counterparts. The physicist leading an interdisciplinary team that developed the state-of-the-art design recently spoke to Nextgov about the chips' potential to advance artificial intelligence. "If we start from a biology standpoint, we use ourselves, humans, as a model for intelligent systems, of course. But there are many other branches that evolution has taken where you can sort of reach big computational power," Angel Yanguas-Gil, principal materials scientist in Argonne's Applied Materials division, said. "Insects are one of these areas."