Chinese engineers have unveiled 'Darwin Monkey,' a new generation of brain-like computer capable of emulating the neural activity of a macaque monkey's brain. Developed by the National Key Lab of Brain Intelligence at Zhejiang University, the system integrates 960 Darwin 3 chips, the third generation of brain-like neural processing units developed by the lab. This configuration supports over 2 billion pulsed neurons and more than 100 billion synapses, marking a significant advancement in neuromorphic computing.
Darwin Monkey is designed to perform complex tasks such as logical reasoning, content generation, and mathematical problem-solving. Its architecture allows for the preliminary simulation of animal brains of varying neuron sizes, including those of C. elegans, zebrafish, mice, and macaques, offering new possibilities for brain science research. The system operates with an approximate power consumption of 2,000 watts under typical conditions.
This development represents a substantial step forward in the field of neuromorphic computing, aiming to create machines that mimic the structure and function of biological brains. The research team has successfully deployed several intelligent applications on the computer, demonstrating its potential in various domains of artificial intelligence and neuroscience.