The brain is one of the most complex and sophisticated organs in the human body. We have been studying it for a long time and we still know very little about it. However, after much scientific effort, we have managed to come up with some parallels, such as quantum computing and artificial general intelligence.

What if we could, through technology, achieve the performance of a human brain by imitating its biological processes? Researchers at Western Sydney University believe it is possible. And their theory has not only remained in the books, but they have launched a project to make it a reality.

The International Center for Neuromorphic Systems (ICNS) of the aforementioned institution explains that they are working on the first computer system capable of simulating human brain networks at scale thanks to a neuromorphic system. It has been called DeepSouth Supercomputer and is expected to be operational in 2024.

Unlike conventional computer systems, DeepSouth has been designed from the ground up to function as if it were a huge neural network. It is a completely new platform that promises to establish a new paradigm for how computing loads are managed and, they say, will come with many tangible advantages.

First, the supercomputer architecture will be able to emulate the human brain to reach peaks of 228 trillion synaptic operations per second. The ICNS assures that this is equivalent to the estimated rate of operations that the human brain can perform. Plus, it will be tremendously efficient.

The human brain can process information equivalent to one exaFLOP per second with something like 20 watts of power. DeepSouth's neuromorphic engineering promises to process an equivalent amount of data with much less energy. The benefit? Improve the development of artificial intelligence.