Constructive community race: full-density spiking neural network model drives neuromorphic computing

Neuromorphic Computing and Engineering, vol. 6, pp. 012001

Abstract

Abstract The local circuitry of the mammalian brain is a focus of the search for generic computational principles because it is largely conserved across species and modalities. In 2014 a model was proposed representing all neurons and synapses of the stereotypical cortical microcircuit below 1 mm 2 of brain surface. The model reproduces fundamental features of brain activity but its impact remained limited because of its computational demands. For theory and simulation, however, the model was a breakthrough because it is full-scale, therefore free of uncertainties of downscaling, and larger models are less densely connected. This sparked a race in the neuromorphic computing community and the model became a de facto standard benchmark. Within a few years real-time performance was reached and surpassed at significantly reduced energy consumption. We review how the computational challenge was tackled by different simulation technologies and derive guidelines for the next generation of benchmarks and other domains of science.

Authors 17

1. Johanna Senk corresponding

   University of Sussex · Forschungszentrum Jülich

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), Jülich Research Centre, Jülich, Germany

   Sussex AI, School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom

2. Anno Christopher Kurth

   Forschungszentrum Jülich

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), Jülich Research Centre, Jülich, Germany

3. Steve B. Furber

   University of Manchester

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

4. Tobias Gemmeke Aachen Lehrstuhl für Integrierte Digitale Systeme und Schaltungsentwurf (IDS)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Lehrstuhl für Integrierte Digitale Systeme und Schaltungsentwurf (IDS), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

5. Bruno Golosio

   University of Cagliari · Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Cagliari

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy

   Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Sezione di Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy

6. Arne Heittmann

   Forschungszentrum Jülich

   Affiliation as printed

   Neuromorphic Software Ecosystems (PGI-15), Jülich Research Centre, Jülich, Germany

7. Tobias G. Noll Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

8. Thomas Nowotny

   University of Sussex

   Affiliation as printed

   Sussex AI, School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom

9. Luca Peres

   University of Manchester

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

10. Oliver Rhodes

    University of Manchester

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

11. Johannes Schemmel

    Heidelberg University

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Computer Engineering, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany

12. Tim Stadtmann Aachen Lehrstuhl für Integrierte Digitale Systeme und Schaltungsentwurf (IDS)

    RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    Lehrstuhl für Integrierte Digitale Systeme und Schaltungsentwurf (IDS), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

13. Tom Tetzlaff

    Forschungszentrum Jülich

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), Jülich Research Centre, Jülich, Germany

14. Gianmarco Tiddia

    Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Cagliari

    Affiliation as printed

    Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Sezione di Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy

15. Sacha Jennifer van Albada

    Forschungszentrum Jülich · University of Cologne

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), Jülich Research Centre, Jülich, Germany

    Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

16. José Villamar Aachen

    Forschungszentrum Jülich · RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), Jülich Research Centre, Jülich, Germany

    RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

17. Markus Diesmann Aachen Department of Physics Faculty 1 Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics School of Medicine

    Forschungszentrum Jülich · Jülich Aachen Research Alliance · RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics, Faculty 1, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

    Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, School of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

    Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), Jülich Research Centre, Jülich, Germany

    JARA-Institute Brain Structure-Function Relationships (INM-10), Jülich Research Centre, Jülich, Germany