Turning to the brain to reboot computing

IMAGE: Sandia National Laboratories researchers are drawing inspiration from neurons in the brain, such as these green fluorescent protein-labeled neurons in a mouse neocortex, with the aim of developing neuro-inspired computing... view more ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Computation is stuck in a rut. The integrated circuits that powered the past 50 years of technological revolution are reaching their physical limits. This predicament has computer scientists scrambling for new ideas: new devices built using novel physics, new ways of organizing units within computers and even algorithms that use new or existing systems more efficiently. To help coordinate new ideas, Sandia National Laboratories has assisted organizing the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Rebooting Computing held Oct. 17-19. "We're taking a stab at the scope of what neural algorithms can do. We're not trying to be exhaustive, but rather we're trying to highlight the kind of application over which algorithms may be impactful," said Brad Aimone, a computational neuroscientist and co-author of one paper.