Rise of the ....CCortex?

CCortex is planned to complete a 20-billion neuron simulation of the Human Cortex and peripheral systems, on a cluster of 500 computers - the largest neural network created to date. Different versions of the simulation have been running since June 2003 on the company data center.

Artificial Development intends CCortex to be a state-of-the-art simulation of the human brain. With 20 billion neurons and 20 trillion connections, CCortex will be up to 10 000 times larger than any previous attempt to replicate, partially or completely, primary characteristics of Human Intelligence, and could be the first neural system to achieve a level of complexity rivaling that of the mammalian brain. According to AD, CCortex will be able to 'replicate' "pattern recognition, verbal and visual communication, knowledge acquisition, and conscious-approximate decision-making capabilities."

CCortex aims to mimic the structure of the human brain with a layered distribution of neural nets and detailed interconnections, and is planned to closely emulate specialized regions of the Human Cortex, Corpus Callosum, Anterior Commissure, Amygdala and Hippocampus. The simulation is planned to provide feedback and limited interaction with reduced, simplified functional versions of other nervous and sensory systems such as the Brainstem, Thalamus, Cerebellum, Retina and auditory processing systems.

CCortex is intended to perform a number of tasks previously unavailable to traditional computing by recreating the complexity and functionality of those cortical regions that are most likely responsible for processing higher-level functions of human intelligence.


Anyone else thinking...