IBM is working with the Air Force Research Lab on a TrueNorth 64-chip array

IBM is working with the U.S. Air Force to improve its TrueNorth line of chips designed to optimize the performance of machine learning models at the hardware level. The new 64-chip array will consist of four boards, each with 16 chips. IBM's chips are still too experimental to be used in mass production, but they've shown promise in running a special type of neural network called a spiking neural network. Though the technology is still in its infancy, IBM believes the low power consumption of its chips could some day bring value in constrained applications like mobile phones and self-driving cars. In an Air Force context, this could include applications in satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).