IBM Supercomputer Simulates 4.5% of Human Brain

[Hevva]

IBM Supercomputer Simulates 4.5% of Human Brain

IBM's Blue Gene supercomputer can handle 4.5% of your brain's processes - and might have all of them covered by 2019.

As powerful as many modern supercomputers are, none of them can match the overall processing power of the human brain. According to IBM, however, that may not be the case for long: The company's Blue Gene supercomputer has already managed to simulate 4.5% of your brain's processes at the same time, and the designers behind it say that they hope to have the entire brain done by 2019.

Blue Gene uses a refined version of the tech that IBM used to replicate all of the research paper [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/96601-Simulated-Cat-Brain-Heralds-the-End-of-the-World].

Given this development and the creation of its SyNAPSE chip [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/112459-IBMs-New-Chip-Replicates-Your-Brain] (which replicates the learning processes used by our own brains), it's hard not to wonder about how far IBM can really go with cognitive computing. Modeling computers on the most powerful natural processor we know of is a clever strategy and the uses for computers as powerful as our brains would be plentiful. How much money could these things win on TV game shows? The mind boggles. We'll have to wait until 2019 (or later) to see if it's really possible, though.


Source: Scientific American [http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=graphic-science-ibm-simulates-4-percent-human-brain-all-of-cat-brain]

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[nukethetuna]

Huh, so I guess computers have finally caught up to the kids on XBoxLive[footnote]Replace XBoxLive with your own group of people for additional fun![footnote]Also I am kidding[/footnote][/footnote].

In all seriousness, pretty cool. I mean if they take it far enough, then the singularity is upon us, right?

 

[Valagetti]

So can it do anything else except play pong?
I give it 1 year until we start making films about this. Or more like -40 years!
Its so cool how science is inspired by science-fiction!

 

[Fanboy]

147,456 1 gigabyte processors must take up a lot of space and energy, and that's still only 4.5%. Even if they are able to match the processing capabilities of the human brain by 2019 they will still be way behind in efficiency.

But that's alright, because all we have to do is reach the singularity and then the computers will solve these problems for us.

 

[draythefingerless]

147,456 1 gigabyte processors must take up a lot of space and energy, and that's still only 4.5%. Even if they are able to match the processing capabilities of the human brain by 2019 they will still be way behind in efficiency.

But that's alright, because all we have to do is reach the singularity and then the computers will solve these problems for us.

yeah and then theyll solve the problem that IS US.

 

[omicron1]

Positronic brains - Due date: 2050.
The Mule - Due date: 24476 (approx.)

I have but one thing to say: Bring on the Foundation!

 

[Uber Evil]

It sure seems IBM's schtick is making supercomputers now. They had that one that one that won that gameshow, the cat one, now this. Technology is grand.

 

[thiosk]

By hooking 147,456 1 gigabyte processors together,

1 gigabyte processors? Perhaps they meant gigahertz processors? Could a techie elaborate on this please?

 

[octafish]

Q: Yes, but can it play Crysis?

A: No but it can finish Crysis 2 on medium difficulty.

 

[Broken Blade]

This is a pretty cool achievement. And if nothing else, it demonstrates just how much processing power the simple human brain has. Isn't evolution AMAZING? It kinda makes me wanna break into song, ya know?

Boom de ada boom de ada,
Boom de ada boom de ada.

 

[Fanboy]

By hooking 147,456 1 gigabyte processors together,

1 gigabyte processors? Perhaps they meant gigahertz processors? Could a techie elaborate on this please?

I was puzzled by that too, but I clicked the source and it said that each processor had 1 gigabyte of working memory (RAM), which makes more sense. The actually ghz of the processors wasn't said, it just states it as "roughly equivalent to the one found in a personal computer".

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Q: Yes, but can it play Crysis?

A: No but it can finish Crysis 2 on medium difficulty.

Well done good sir, that made my day! I wonder if it will be able to beat me in a game of Civ 5. The answer is yes because im crap at Civ 5

 

[Musiclly enhanced]

I bet they play some serious counter strike on that

 

[zehydra]

I predict nothing but rainbows and sunshines from this. This will not backfire in anyway whatsoever.

For anyone who's still beating the dead Skynet horse, know that for a computer to gain "awareness" like we imagine it, it must gain about 4.5 billion years worth of evolution. That simply doesn't happen overnight.

So there.

Funny thing is though, is that even if they create a convincing enough AI, to make it seem like it's sentient, then as long as people can't tell the difference, they'll end up fighting for its rights.

 

[Pinkamena]

IBM is really making some very interesting research at the moment. But I think they will have to come.up with hardware that simulates the brain, not software.

 

[Samurai Silhouette]

I predict nothing but rainbows and sunshines from this. This will not backfire in anyway whatsoever.

For anyone who's still beating the dead Skynet horse, know that for a computer to gain "awareness" like we imagine it, it must gain about 4.5 billion years worth of evolution. That simply doesn't happen overnight.

So there.

No, it'll just happen in 7 years.

Also, this kinda scares me. Can we do immortality and space flight first before we destroy the human race please?

 

[Dimitriov]

Pfft the processing power of the human brain? Big whoop.

Don't get me wrong, the human brain is an amazing collection of matter. But there are billions of humans out there who act pants on head retarded. Wouldn't it be great if we actually create a supercomputer AI that despite it's amazing potential... is actually kind of a moron?