Australia is on the brink of unveiling a revolutionary supercomputer, named DeepSouth, designed by researchers at the International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems (ICNS) at Western Sydney University. The supercomputer, developed in collaboration with Intel and Dell, is set to be operational by April 2024. DeepSouth is engineered to simulate human brain synapses at full scale, delving into the intricacies of how our brains process information with remarkable efficiency and minimal power consumption.
The unique feature of DeepSouth lies in its neuromorphic system, incorporating spiking neural networks on its chips. This groundbreaking technology aims to mimic biological processes, enabling the emulation of large networks of spiking neurons at an impressive rate of 228 trillion synaptic operations per second. This rate rivals the estimated operation speed of the human brain, providing a platform for in-depth studies on how brains compute using neurons.
Unlike traditional supercomputers optimized for conventional computing loads, DeepSouth operates like networks of neurons, emphasizing efficiency and reduced power consumption. ICNS Director, Professor Andre van Schaik, emphasized the significance of DeepSouth, stating that it stands apart from other supercomputers due to its purpose-built design for neural network simulation.
The project aims to overcome the limitations of simulating brain-like networks at scale on standard computers, which can be slow and power-intensive when using Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and multicore Central Processing Units (CPUs). DeepSouth is expected to advance our understanding of brain computation, paving the way for brain-scale computing applications in diverse fields such as sensing, biomedical research, robotics, space exploration, and large-scale artificial intelligence applications.
The imminent activation of DeepSouth heralds a new era in supercomputing, bringing us closer to unraveling the mysteries of the human brain and unleashing the potential of brain-inspired computing for various scientific and technological advancements.
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