Intel has unveiled the creation of a neuromorphic system with 1.15 billion neurons using the Loihi 2 processors. This technology aims to revolutionize Artificial Intelligence (AI) by allowing for a more efficient and modular approach. Dubbed Hala Point, this research prototype is currently being deployed at Sandia National Laboratories to support the analysis of future brain-inspired AI.
The company believes that the industry requires new scalable solutions, and Hala Point is expected to advance technology efficiency and adaptability at scale. The system features 1.152 Loihi 2 processors on an Intel 4 process node, supporting up to 1.15 billion neurons and 128 billion synapses across 140,544 neuromorphic processing cores.
Hala Point integrates processing, memory, and communication channels in a parallelized fabric, providing significant memory and communication bandwidth. With capabilities to perform 20 quadrillion operations per second, the system is designed for real-time continuous learning in various AI applications such as scientific problem solving, logistics, smart city infrastructure management, and AI agents.
Compared to its predecessor, Pohoiki Springs, Hala Point offers significant improvements in performance and efficiency for real-time processing tasks. The system is capable of executing its full capacity 20 times faster than the human brain and up to 200 times faster at lower capacity, especially in bioinspired models of spiking neural networks.
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories will utilize Hala Point to solve scientific computing problems in various fields like device physics, computer architecture