Aston University to lead new UK Centre for Neuromorphic Computing
Funded by UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the new centre will pioneer brain-inspired computing technologies and aims to become a focal point for networking and collaboration.
The UK Multidisciplinary Centre for Neuromorphic Computing will receive £5.6 million in funding from the EPSRC over four years, aiming to address the sustainability challenges facing digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
Neuromorphic computing aims to replicate the brain’s structural and functional properties, although progress is currently limited by a lack in system-level understanding of how the human brain computes at cellular and network scales. The new centre aims to address this, blending stem-cell-derived human neuron experiments with advanced computational models, low-power algorithms and novel photonic hardware.
The centre will be led by the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies and will include researchers from Aston University, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of Southampton, Queen Mary University of London, Loughborough University and the University of Strathclyde.
Professor Rhein Parri, co-director and neurophysiologist at Aston University says: “For the first time, we can combine the study of living human neurons with that of advanced computing platforms to co-develop the future of computing. This project is an exciting leap forward, learning from biology and technology in ways that were not previously possible.”
The researchers also plan to tackle the increasing energy footprint of information and communication technologies.
Professor Dimitra Georgiadou, co-director of the centre, based at the University of Southampton, adds: “To address the challenge of substantially lowering the power consumption in electronics, novel materials and device architectures are needed that can effectively emulate computation in the brain and cellular responses to certain stimuli."
Last year, Aston University announced the opening of Aston University London, a new educational hub set to open its doors in spring 2025 at 200A Aldersgate in the City of London.
