IBM and The Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) are today announcing a major joint research initiative - nicknamed the "Blue Brain Project" - to take brain research to a new level.
Over the next two years scientists from both organizations will work together using the huge computational capacity of IBM's eServer Blue Gene supercomputer to create a detailed model of the circuitry in the neocortex - the largest and most complex part of the human brain. By expanding the project to model other areas of the brain, scientists hope to eventually build an accurate, computer-based model of the entire brain.
Relatively little is actually known about how the brain works. Using the digital model scientists will run computer-based simulations of the brain at the molecular level, shedding light on internal processes such as thought, perception and memory. Scientists also hope to understand more about how and why certain microcircuits in the brain malfunction - thought to be the cause of psychiatric disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and depression.
Henry Markram, the EPFL professor heading up the project said,
"Modeling the brain at the cellular level is a massive undertaking because of the hundreds of thousands of parameters that need to be taken into account. IBM has unparalleled experience in biological simulations and the most advanced supercomputing technology in the world. With our combined resources and expertise we are embarking on one of the most ambitious research initiatives ever undertaken in the field of neuroscience."
Tilak Agerwala, Vice President of Systems, IBM Research added,
"Blue Gene is by far the fastest supercomputing system in the world, giving scientists access to unprecedented levels of computing power. What really matters is not the power itself, but how it is applied to accelerate innovation and discovery in science, engineering and business."
The system that will be installed at EPFL will occupy the floor space of about four refrigerators, and will have a peak processing speed of at least 22.8 trillion floating-point operations per second (22.8 Teraflops), making it one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world.
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