Conitnued...Producing a Silicon Foundation for Brain-Inspired...

Conitnued...
Producing a Silicon Foundation for Brain-Inspired Computation.
To provide functional systems for researchers to implement SNNs, Intel Labs designed Loihi, its fifth-generation self-learning neuromorphic research test chip, which was introduced in November 2017. This 128-core design is based on a specialized architecture that is optimized for SNN algorithms and fabricated on 14nm process technology. Loihi supports the operation of SNNs that do not need to be trained in the conventional manner of a convolutional neural network, for example. These networks also become more capable (“smarter”) over time.
The Loihi chip includes a total of some 130,000 neurons, each of which can communicate with thousands of others. Developers can access and manipulate on-chip resources programmatically by means of a learning engine that is embedded in each of the 128 cores. Because the hardware is optimized specifically for SNNs, it supports dramatically accelerated learning in unstructured environments for systems that require autonomous operation and continuous learning, with extremely low power consumption, plus high performance and capacity.
Intel Labs is committed to enabling the research community at large with access to test systems based on Loihi. Because the technology is still in a research phase (as opposed to production), there are only a limited number of Loihi-based test systems in existence; in order to expand access, Intel Labs has developed a cloud-based platform for research community access to scalable Loihi-based infrastructure.