Intel unveils latest AI chip capable of processing data 1,000 times faster than normal ones

Intel has just launched Pohoiki Beach, a new AI chip that can crunch data 1,000 times faster than normal ones. 

The so-called neuromorphic chips aim to replicate the learning ability of a human brain.

They can process information up to 1,000 times faster and 10,000 times more efficiently than CPUs, according to the firm. 

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Comprised of 64 Loihi research chips, the 8 million-neuron neuromorphic system is still in its infancy, but it’s now available for researchers to use in various AI applications. 

The hardware is already being used to improve the performance of prosthetic limbs, so that they can adapt to uneven ground, and to create a more accurate maps which can be used by autonomous vehicles. 

“We are impressed with the early results demonstrated as we scale Loihi to create more powerful neuromorphic systems,” said Rich Uhlig, managing director of Intel Labs. 

“Pohoiki Beach will now be available to more than 60 ecosystem partners, who will use this specialized system to solve complex, compute-intensive problems.”

Looking ahead, Uhlig predicts that Intel will produce a system that's able to simulate 100mn neurons buy the end of 2019