Ist year student, Institute of Information Technologies
Scientific supervisor Kornuta O.V., PhD, associate professor
Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas
Ivano-Frankivsk
Artificial intelligence (AI, also machine intelligence, MI) is intelligence displayed by machines, in contrast with the natural intelligence (NI) displayed by humans and other animals. In computer science AI research is defined as the study of “intelligent agents”: any device that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chance of success at some goal [1]. AI is used in many fields such as: Aviation, Computer Science, Education, Finance, Heavy Industry, Hospitals and Medicine, Marketing etc [2].
Recently, there has been a breakthrough in the development of neuromorphic chips. An alternative design for computer chips that will enhance artificial intelligence was invented. It matters because traditional chips are reaching fundamental performance limits. Key players in this industry are: Qualcomm, IBM, HRL Laboratories, Human Brain Project, Intel [3].
Intel has been steadily increasing its portfolio of products in the AI space, through the acquisition of multiple AI-focused companies such as Nervana, Mobileye, and others. That idea is what’s behind of neuromorphic computing, where chips are being designed to mimic the overall architecture of the human brain, with neurons, synapses and all.
Intel’s neuromorphic chip “Loihi” is hardly the first such neuromorphic computing chip to enter the market. The concept, coined by Carver Mead in 1980, was first taken up by universities at 2006 and has since been picked up by companies such as IBM. IBM’s own TrueNorth neuromorphic CMOS (Complementary-symmetry/metal-oxide semiconductor integrated circuit, described as a many-core network processor on a chip) features a grand total of 4,096 cores. Each of these cores simulates 256 artificial, programmable silicon “neurons” for a total of just over a million neurons. In turn, each neuron has 256 programmable “synapses” that convey the signals between them, which brings the total number of programmable synapses is just over 268 million.
Loihi, however, will feature “only” 130,000 neurons and 130 million synapses. Each of these neuromorphic cores includes a “learning engine”, which allows the core’s learning parameters to change on the fly according to the particular needs of a given workload, through supervised, unsupervised, reinforcement and other learning paradigms. In other words, Loihi is a first-of-its-kind self-learning chip [4].
Intel is saying Loihi is especially capable in workloads such as the development and testing of several algorithms with high algorithmic efficiency for problems including path planning, constraint satisfaction, sparse coding, dictionary learning, and dynamic pattern learning and adaptation [5].
In conclusion, AI becomes more and more popular in all spheres of life, and the development of neuromorphic chips is a huge breakthrough in this field.
References
- Artificial intelligence [Електронний ресурс] – Режим доступу до ресурсу: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence.
- Applications of artificial intelligence [Електронний ресурс] – Режим доступу до ресурсу: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applications_of_artificial_intelligence.
- Neuromorphic Chips [Електронний ресурс] – Режим доступу до ресурсу: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/526506/neuromorphic-chips/.
- Intel’s New Self-Learning Chip Promises to Accelerate Artificial Intelligence [Електронний ресурс] – Режим доступу до ресурсу: https://newsroom.intel.com/editorials/intels-new-self-learning-chip-promises-accelerate-artificial-intelligence/.
- Intel Introduces Neuromorphic Self-Learning Chip Codenamed “Loihi” [Електронний ресурс] – Режим доступу до ресурсу: https://www.techpowerup.com/237345/intel-introduces-neuromorphic-self-learning-chip-codenamed-loihi.