May 1988 example. The brain is a complex network of in- terlinking neurons. It is the interlinking that is the key to solving problems quickly, but it is a problem in computer engineering: to create a 1 million-node network with 1 billion "hardwired" inter- connects would require 92 m" of silicon. The Oregon Graduate Center"s Com- puter Science and Engineering Depart- ment is planning to build a neural com- puter with 10,000 nodes linked by five million interconnects. However, by using frequency-based encoding for the inter- connects instead of hardwiring only 0.8 m2 silicon is needed. Neural computers may help in solving problems that still defeat conventional computers in spite of the enormous in- crease in processing power made poss- ible by VLSI technology. These prob- lems include pattern processing tasks, such as speech recognition, and the cre- ation of content addressable memories. References: 1. Minds, brains, and programs. Behav- ioural and Brain Sciences 1980, 2. By Pro...
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