Emergence of winner-takes-all connectivity paths in random nanowire networks

Journal: Nature Communications

Published: 2018-08-13

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05517-6

Affiliations: 5

Authors: 11

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Research Highlight

The winner takes it all

© BSIP/Getty

© BSIP/Getty

Nanowire networks are promising for providing a low-energy solution to storing and processing large amounts of data on brain-inspired computer chips.

Memristors are resistors that can simultaneously store and process data. Networks of metal nanowires could be used to make memristors for artificial intelligence (AI).

A team that included researchers from University College Cork in Ireland made a random network of silver nanowires connected by junctions, similar to the way neurons are connected by synapses in the brain. They then tweaked the network until a ‘winner-takes-all’ pathway emerged, such that all the stored memory became restricted to a single connectivity pathway that required the least energy to create.

Improvements to brain-inspired computing are gradually paving the way for AI with increasing levels of seemingly natural intelligence.

Supported content

  1. Nature Communications 9, 3219 (2018). doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-05517-6
Institutions Share
Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research (AMBER), Ireland 0.32
School of Chemistry, TCD, Ireland 0.18
Tyndall National Institute (TNI), Ireland 0.18
Duke Department of Chemistry, United States of America (USA) 0.18
School of Physics, TCD, Ireland 0.14