Today's computers and other devices have an ever-increasing demand for broadband, but broadband technology research has long since reached its limits. Therefore, scientists are researching new materials to create a new system by mimicking the speed and precision of the animal nervous system. Neuromorphic computing based on quantum materials possesses quantum mechanical properties, enabling scientists to break through the limits of traditional semiconductor materials and create more flexible devices with lower energy requirements.
A team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego, recently conducted a study. They simulated a new type of artificial intelligence computing device with brain function. By combining new supercomputing materials with special oxides, the researchers successfully demonstrated brain circuits reflecting neuronal and synaptic connections, as well as the backbone of the device's network.
The innovation of this research lies in the combination of two quantum materials—a copper oxide-based superconducting material and a nickel oxide-based metallic insulator transition material. These create fundamental "loop devices" that can be precisely controlled at the nanoscale using helium and hydrogen, reflecting the connections between neurons and synapses. Simulations suggest that they will ultimately allow for the creation of a network of devices that will display certain characteristics of the animal brain.
"The field of computing has made remarkable progress over the past fifty years, with computer devices becoming smaller and computing speeds increasing," said Frañó, one of the paper's authors. "But at the same time, energy consumption has also increased. Neuromorphic computing, which requires less energy, is inspired by the emergence of millions of neurons, axons, and dendrites."
