SBIR Phase I: Superconducting Neural Units with Adjustable Weights

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响旨在开发一个新的神经形态计算平台，其影响可能会在许多不同的领域，从汽车工业到机器人和生物医学应用。该技术所提供的能源使用减少可以节省全国总耗电量的2%，使其成为最环保的计算平台之一。此外，基于超导体的硬件有可能为工业和研究提供最快的商业化高性能计算平台之一，为解决许多领域的当前计算问题提供潜力。高频神经形态计算的发展，特别是人工智能应用的发展，有望加强美国经济。这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在将基于高速超导电子的神经形态计算机带到技术前沿，该计算机以神经单元为中心，具有可调权重，作为无序阵列。目前，随着摩尔定律达到极限，大型人工智能模型所需的高速计算在半导体器件架构中受到了考验。大部分必要的计算能力只能通过付费运行时间在由少数几家有能力建造它们的公司拥有的大型服务器银行上获得。通过释放基于SQUID的计算能力（超导量子干涉装置）阵列和快速单通量量子（RSFQ），该项目旨在开发一种经济实惠、可靠且碳友好的高速计算平台，从而有助于解决电力/该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop a new neuromorphic computing platform, the effects of which may be seen in many different fields, ranging from the automobile industry to robotics and biomedical applications. The reduction in energy use afforded by the technology could save up to 2% of the total electricity consumption nationwide, making it one of the most environmentally friendly computing platforms. Furthermore, the superconductor-based hardware has the potential to provide one of the fastest commercialized high-performance computing platforms for both industry and research, offering the potential to solve current computational problems in many fields. The development of high-frequency neuromorphic computing, with specific application to artificial intelligence applications, promises to strengthen the US economy. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to bring to the technological forefront a high-speed superconductor electronics-based neuromorphic computer centered around neural units with adjustable weights serving as a disordered array. Currently, high-speed computing necessary for large artificial intelligence models is bottlenecked at semiconductor device architecture as Moore’s Law reaches its limits. Much of the necessary computing power is only accessible via paid run time on vast server banks owned by a select few companies that can afford to build them. By unlocking computing power based on SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device) arrays and rapid single flux quantum (RSFQ), the project aims to develop an affordable, reliable, and carbon friendly high-speed computing platform, thereby helping to solve the power/cost crisis facing currently accessible computing systems.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.