Mimicking the Human Brain and More: New Grand Challenge Initiatives

Abstract

Mimicking the Human Brain and More: New Grand Challenge Initiatives A fter President Obama announced the BRAIN Initiative, 1,2 there was a call for suggestions of other grand challenges for which the great advances and investments in nanoscience and nanotechnology could be fruitfully applied. 3À6 After considering over 100 responses, the White House recently announced "A Nanotechnology-Inspired Grand Challenge for Future Computing". 6 There may yet be more.Since the discovery of the first solid-state electronic switch in 1947, 7 transistor dimensions have been aggressively down-scaled to enhance their functionality, performance, and speed, while lowering the manufacturing cost. Today's 14-nm technology node 8 utilizes Si that is patterned into "fins" 9 with a minimum fin thickness of 8 nm (corresponding to ∼15 Si atoms across), and a minimum gate length of 20 nm. One can argue that the transistors of today are already at the molecular scale. A typical 14-nm node processor has a die size of 80À130 mm 2 with 1.3À1.9 billion transistors. More than half of the die area is typically allocated to memory. Throughout this evolutionary path, the layout of the transistors and circuits has remained planar, meaning that the active components are laid out side-by-side (with only a few exceptions). Today's processors can perform computation at unprecedented speeds. For instance, complex mathematical problems that would have been considered nearly impossible to solve by a human can be readily computed using today's processors. Yet, when it comes down to data processing, for instance, of an image or a video, the human brain remains far superior despite the tremendous progress that has been made in the field of image processing. It is incredible how the human sensory nervous system can use data from multitude of senses, such as sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch to form a concept of its environment instantaneously and to deliver a rapid response. Importantly, the brain uses minimal energy compared to state-of-the-art computer processors for handling such operations. Finally, unlike today's processors, the human brain has the ability to learn and to develop from daily experiences, which makes it even more efficient in processing sensory data. This effect exists throughout our lives but is most remarkably apparent in the early development stages.The human brain consists of a complex three-dimensional (3D) network of ∼100 billion neurons, with each neuron interconnected to as many as 10 000 other neurons. While the basic structure of the brain is known, the underlying mechanistic details of its operation are still not well understood. The BRAIN Initiative was announced by the White House in 2013 to facilitate research that would provide us with a better understanding of this complex and remarkable organ. 1,2 It is understood that each neuron is not just a switch but rather a sophisticated circuit that takes positive and negative inputs from multiple other neurons to determine its outputs. The interconnection between different ...

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