IBM's New Artificial Neurons a Big Step Toward Powerful Brain-Like Computers

Thanks to a sleek new computer chip developed by IBM, we are one step closer to making computers work like the brain. The neuromorphic chip is made from a phase-change material commonly found in rewritable optical discs (confused? more on this later). Because of this secret sauce, the chip's components behave strikingly similar to biological neurons: they can scale down to nanometer size and perform complicated computations rapidly with little energy. What makes them especially...