Over the past decades, computer scientists have developed increasingly advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that perform well on various tasks, including the analysis or generation of images, videos, audio recordings and texts. These systems power various highly performing software, including automated transcription apps, large language model (LLM)-powered conversational agents like ChatGPT, and various other platforms.
Despite their remarkable performance, most AI systems are computationally intensive and can rapidly drain the energy of existing devices. Electronics engineers have thus been trying to develop brain-inspired hardware systems that are better suited for running these systems.
Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, ETH Zurich and Université de Bourgogne Europe recently developed new artificial neurons based on memristors, nanoscale electronic components that change their electrical resistance based on the current that previously flowed through them. These brain cell-inspired hardware components, presented in a paper published in Nature Electronics, could be used to create dense and three-dimensional neural networks that are better suited for the implementation of AI systems.
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