Name: A computer that works like the brain
Uploaded: 2008-07-30T05:28:00Z
Duration: 16 min 2 s
Description: Researcher Kwabena Boahen is looking for ways to mimic the brain's supercomputing powers in silicon -- because the messy, redundant processes inside our heads actually make for a small, light, superfast computer.

Researcher Kwabena Boahen is looking for ways to mimic the brain's supercomputing powers in silicon -- because the messy, redundant processes inside our heads actually make for a small, light, superfast computer.

A computer that works like the brain

The human brain matches the world’s fastest computer in processing power but does so using 100,000 times less energy. While a supercomputer consumes as much electricity as 1,200 households, the brain runs on about 10 watts—the same as a laptop. This secret lies in the brain’s messy, redundant, and parallel structure, which allows for robust, adaptive, and energy-efficient computation. Mimicking this architecture in silicon could spark far more powerful and creative computers.