Samsung Intends To Make A Chip That Works Like The Human Brain

JAKARTA - Making artificial intelligence (AI) work like a human brain is not easy, but Samsung already has a better way to develop brain-like chips, by borrowing existing brain structures.

The South Korea-based company has proposed a method that can copy and paste a map of the brain's neuron network onto a 3D neuromorphic chip. However, that approach would rely on arrays of nanoelectrodes entering a large number of neurons to record where the neurons were connected and the strength of those connections.

Citing Engadget, Monday, September 27, researchers can copy that data and embed it into a 3D network of solid-state memory, be it ready-to-use flash storage or cutting-edge memory, such as resistive RAM.

Each memory unit will have a conductance that reflects the strength of each neuron connection on the map. The result would be an effective return to engineering the brain the way scientists wanted.

According to scientists, this move could serve as a shortcut for an artificial intelligence system that will behave like a real brain, including the flexibility that it can learn new concepts and adapt to any conditions. Users will even see a fully autonomous machine with an accurate level of intelligence.

However, there is a glaring problem with complexity. Since the human brain has about 100 billion neurons with a thousand times as many synaptic links, an ideal neuromorphic chip would require about 100 trillion memory units.

That's definitely a tough challenge for any company, and that doesn't include creating the code needed to make this virtual brain work. Samsung may have opened the door to AI like humans, but it will take a long time before it reaches that goal.