Heena Sharma Blog

In a bid to improve understanding of neurological disorders , researchers have created a fast and energy-efficient simulation of part of a rat brain by using computer chip manufacturer NVIDIA's Artificial Intelligence (AI) compute platform. Developing faster and more efficient simulators could increase the level of understanding the brain function and identify how damage to a particular structure in neurons can lead to deficits in brain function. For creating the simulator, the researchers used computer hardware designed for 3D games, according to the study published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience. The study showed that a single Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) was able to achieve processing speeds up to 10 per cent faster than is currently possible using either a supercomputer or the SpiNNaker neuromorphic system, a custom-built machine. The team was also able to achieve energy savings of 10 times compared to either the SpiNNaker or supercomputer simul...

If you’re among the multitudes sceptical that computers might one day be trustworthy replacements for drivers, consider this: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 94 per cent of serious crashes are the result of human error. So yes, computers may prove to be safer at the controls. It’s not a high bar. The secret sauce of those computers’ becoming our chauffeurs is the ubiquitous force of artificial intelligence, which is already active in virtual personal assistants and a bank’s customer-service chatbot. But it’s the automobile where AI could have a critical role for the greatest number of people. Few AI applications carry the responsibility of automotive safety systems, where actions must be carried out in nanoseconds and an ill-considered response may have costly consequences. Systems that marry microprocessors, sensors and software to make fully driverless cars possible are in the advanced stages of development, but experts say the leap fro...