Scientists create ’brain-like’ photonic computer microchips

Scientists have made a crucial step towards unlocking the 'holy grail' of computing - microchips that mimic the way the human brain works to store and process information. The research team has made the pioneering breakthrough of the development of photonic computer chips that imitate the way the brain's synapses operate. The work, conducted by researchers from Oxford, Münster and Exeter universities, combined phase-change materials - commonly found in household items such re-writable optical discs - with specially designed integrated photonic circuits to deliver a biological-like synaptic response. Crucially, their photonic synapses can operate at speeds a thousand times faster than those of the human brain. The team believes that the research could pave the way for a new age of computing, where machines work and think in a similar way to the human brain, while at the same time exploiting the speed and power efficiency of photonic systems. The research is published in Science Advances . Professor Harish Bhaskaran from the Department of Materials at Oxford University, who led the team, said: 'The development of computers that work more like the human brain has been a holy grail of scientists for decades.