Cognitive computing - an entirely new computational paradigm
which draws its inspiration from the human brain - sounds like
science fiction, but IBM is spending a fortune trying to turn it
into science fact. We chat to the leader of the project Dr.
Dharmendra Modha about what could prove to be a tipping point in
the history of computing. Dr. Modha's team - made up of members
from four world-class universities, six IBM labs and fabs,
government labs, and experts from the fields of neuroscience,
supercomputing, and nanotechnology - has been working for years
to produce the first prototypes of a cognitive computing
processor, and last week it announced the fruits of its labour:
two tiny processors that could spark a major change in the way
computing works. "As I speak to you," an animated Modha explains
during our interview, "I hold in my hand a tiny, tiny, tiny chip
that represents our first cognitive computing core. It brings
together the three key architectural elements of the brain:
neurons, representing com