Brain Gain

Devices that mimic synapses – the junctions between neurons – could help us to produce more powerful computers

- Dr Mike Schneider

What is the idea behind creating an artificial synapse?

Dr Mike Schneider: When you have a connection between two neurons, whether or not one triggers the next is determined by the synapse. This mechanism is believed to be responsible for things like memory. Lots of neurons are connected and the strength of their connection is varied by synapses. We wanted to see if we could make physical devices that match that, as opposed to the transistors and switches used in traditional computing architecture. If you look to the human brain for inspiration for computing, it’s very impressive: you have 100 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses, and yet it consumes just 20 watts of power. And it excels at tasks that our modern computers, which are fantastic at multiplying and dividing numbers, don’t do very well.