The MATRIX AI Consortium at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has received a $4 million grant to fund the Neuromorphic Commons (THOR) project.
The multi-university THOR project offers researchers access to a large-scale neuromorphic computing system that is the first-of-its-kind.
THOR expects to boost algorithm design, hardware and software co-design and neuromorphic applications. It will be available to a wide range of research communities, including computational neuroscience, life sciences, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and physics.
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The THOR team (see below) will develop training and educational materials that will cover the fundamentals of neuromorphic learning algorithms and systems, and all resources will be available through open-platforms to researchers, facilitating integration into both undergraduate and graduate curricula.
“We plan to design a national hub for open access large scale neuromorphic platforms,through close-knit industry partnerships, ” said Dhireesha Kudithipudi, Principal Investigator at the University of Texas San Antonio. “The field is at a pivotal moment and ensuring access to a broader group of researchers is critical at this stage. This initiative reflects a community-driven approach, shaping a framework designed by and for the community. ”
“Building and teaching common tools is necessary to see further innovation in the field,” said Catherine Schuman, Co-Principal Investigator from University of Tennessee Knoxville.
“THOR will give users direct access to a range of powerful neuromorphic hardware modeling and emulating brain function at unprecedented scale”, said Gert Cauwenberghs, Co-Principal Investigator from University of California San Diego.
“This award is crucial in advancing NSF’s mission to drive innovation and broadening access to research resources,” said NSF Program Director Andrey Kanaev. “By making bio-inspired computing resources available to a wider community of researchers in computer science, neuroscience, and computational physics, this project will contribute to democratizing access to advanced tools and fostering breakthroughs in energy-efficient, resilient AI through neuromorphic computing.”
The core team of researchers include:
- Dhireesha Kudithipudi, Principal Investigator, University of Texas San Antonio
- Catherine Schuman, Co-Principal Investigator, University of Tennessee Knoxville
- Gert Cauwenberghs, Co-Principal Investigator, University of California San Diego; and
- Vijay Janapa Reddi, Senior Personnel, Harvard University
Researchers interested in accessing the THOR neuromorphic computing platform can register at: THOR Access Request – Google Forms or the website.