A large group of scientists and researchers are working to develop the fastest computer. It is known that the human brain is currently the fastest computer. In other words, they are trying to develop a computer faster than the human brain.
The Human Brain Project, launched on Monday at a conference in Switzerland, brings together 135 scientific institutions and government agencies, all with the goal of creating a computer that resembles the human brain. The project will cost an estimated 1.6 billion euros.
The human brain is the most complex machine in existence, so it was almost expected that technology would want to copy its capabilities. If such a computer were ever created, it would be 1,000 times faster than the fastest one in use today.
The first phases of the project, which is expected to last about a decade, aim to better understand the workings of the human brain. Next, the researchers hope to understand how we learn, how we think, how we see and how we hear.
Currently, the hardware that makes up fast computers has reached performance speeds of one quadrillion operations per second. Henry Markram, director of the Human Brain Project, is looking much higher.
“The big supercomputer manufacturers like IBM, Cray, Intel and Bull have committed to start developing the first exascale machines by 2020,” he told Fox News. “So we’re confident that we’ll have the machines we need.”
These incredibly fast computers will require new forms of memory as well as new storage techniques.
The overall goal of the project, as described on the Human Brain Project, is “to add to our rapidly growing knowledge of the human brain.” The human brain simulation provides insights into the brain’s internal processes, such as where our thoughts and emotions come from.
The practical applications of this venture reach far beyond technology. Such a simulation could help us learn how to treat the human brain.
The Human Brain Project is still in the early planning stages. To learn more about the project, visit their website at HumanBrainProject.eu.
