A core technological hurdle in
this field involves the electrical power requirements of computing hardware.
Although a human brain functions on a mere 20 watts of electrical energy, a
digital computer that could approximate human cognitive abilities would require
tens of thousands of integrated circuits (chips) and a hundred thousand watts
of electricity or more.
The Georgia Tech roadmap proposes
a solution based on analogue computing techniques, which require far less
electrical power than traditional digital computing. The more efficient analogue
approach would help solve the daunting cooling and cost problems that presently
make digital neuromorphic hardware systems impractical.
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