Scientists at IBM have developed a computer that uses "electronic blood" to supply energy while also cooling, similar to the role of blood in the brain.
IBM's Zurich lab is exploring a novel way to power and cool computer chips, inspired by the human brain. In the picture, IBM scientist Patrick Ruch holds a redox flow test chip which can accomplish this.
The human brain can fit into a 2-liter bottle and consumes as much energy as a 20-watt light bulb, with an efficiency about 10,000 times greater than any current computer.
IBM's liquid cooling system not only keeps chips at their optimal operating temperature but also delivers power, akin to the human circulatory system simultaneously transferring heat and energy. This technology could be used to deliver power to densely packed chips in three-dimensional space without needing flat circuit boards.
The chips currently being developed by IBM researchers use the chemical properties of vanadium redox flow, relying on electrical discharges from different oxidation states of vanadium.
In August, IBM announced a new chip architecture inspired by the brain. The company claims these chips could pave the way for intelligent sensor networks capable of simulating human brain perception and thought processes.
On October 24th, according to foreign media reports, machines that can accurately simulate the human brain have long been considered the holy grail of computing. Now, scientists at IBM have developed a computer using "electronic blood," taking another step toward realizing this dream. This technology provides energy to the computer while also cooling it, mimicking the function of blood in the brain.
The BBC reported that last week IBM's Zurich lab demonstrated this system. Dr. Bruno Michel, an IBM scientist, said: "We need to develop supercomputers that are 10,000 times more efficient. By integrating liquid cooling and power delivery networks with hundreds of chips vertically, IBM Research has taken the first step towards developing future bionic computers."
The human brain can fit into a 2-liter bottle, consuming energy equivalent to a 20-watt light bulb, with an efficiency approximately 10,000 times greater than any current computer. This astonishing efficiency is due to the brain using just one vascular and capillary network to simultaneously transfer heat and energy. About 40% of this energy maintains normal brain function, while only 10% is used for powering and cooling. In contrast, computers use 99% of their energy for cooling and power supply, leaving only 1% for information processing.
According to IBM's vision, by 2060, a petaflop-scale computer could be small enough to fit on a desktop. Currently, such a computer occupies an area equivalent to half a football field. IBM's developed system, called "redox flow," delivers "electronic blood." The electrolyte serves two functions: delivering energy and removing heat. IBM stated in a report: "This liquid cooling system not only maintains the chip at its required operating temperature but also delivers power, similar to how the human circulatory system transfers both heat and energy."
This technology can be used to deliver power to densely packed chips in a 3D space without requiring flat circuit boards. According to CNET's tech news, Stefan Sharkland reported that two liquids known as "electrolytes" carry electrically charged ions with opposite charges, flowing through the system to deliver energy. These electrolytes will pass through capillaries as thin as a human hair, delivering energy to regular wires. Michel pointed out: "Our inspiration comes from the organization of the brain. If we apply our understanding of the brain to CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) devices, we may quickly create biologically-inspired computers that benefit from both nature and technology."
Currently, IBM is developing computers that mimic the human brain, with the redox flow system being part of this research. In August, IBM announced a new chip architecture inspired by the brain. The company claims these chips could pave the way for intelligent sensor networks capable of simulating human brain perception and thought. In 2011, IBM validated a novel brain-like chip based on scalable, interconnected, and configurable synaptic nuclei networks. This chip's memory is equivalent to synapses in the brain, its processor to neurons, and communication devices to nerve fibers, replicating and enhancing the brain's ability to respond to biological sensors and immediately analyze massive amounts of data from multiple sources. This plan is part of the same research.
In 2009, IBM announced simulating a cat's cerebral cortex using a supercomputer. The cortex is the thinking region of the brain. With more powerful supercomputers, IBM had previously simulated 40% of a rat's brain in 2006, the entire rat brain in 2007, and the human cerebral cortex in 2009. IBM aims to create a chip system consisting of 10 billion neurons and 100 billion synapses.