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Adaptive Optical Dendrites

Project description

Optical computation based on neuronal signal processing enhances energy efficiency

The dendrites of neurons form a highly branched tree-like structure largely devoted to receiving incoming signals from other neurons and processing them. In fact, some estimates suggest that approximately 75 % of the dendritic surface participates in synaptic transmission, or the reception of a signal from other neurons. The processing itself has linear and non-linear, analog and threshold features, as well as being complex and efficient. Models have been exploring the capabilities of such dendritic computation. Scientists working on the EU-funded ADOPD project intend to harness these concepts for ultrafast fibre-optical computational units, a basis for next-generation neuromorphic computing with significantly reduced energy consumption compared to standard computers. As end-users demand the ever faster processing of exponentially increasing amounts of information for applications ranging from cell phones and gaming to self-driving cars, novel computational units based on dendrite-inspired fibre-optical systems could be a game changer.

Objective

The increased demand for computation with low energy consumption requires entirely novel hardware concepts. In ADOPD we develop ultra-fast computational units based on optical-fiber technologies exploiting information processing principles used by neurons in their dendritic trees. Dendritic processing is highly condensed, local, and parallel and it allows also for non-linear computations. These properties will first be modelled and in a second step transferred to optical systems consisting of fiber optics as well as other optical components. For the first prototype, ADOPD uses well-established single-mode fiber technology to build an optical-dendritic unit (ODU). From there, we move on to cutting-edge multi-mode fibers to obtain an all-optical second prototype of a dendritic tree with significantly higher computing power and compactness. Finally we will design computational models of networks of multiple ODUs to quantify the computational efficiency such multiple, parallel operating devices. Thus, the optical dendritic units created by ADOPD represent a novel, cutting-edge computing hardware for fast, low-power, parallel computing, with the potential to help addressing the rising demands for computation.

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RIA - Research and Innovation action

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2020

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Coordinator

GEORG-AUGUST-UNIVERSITAT GOTTINGEN STIFTUNG OFFENTLICHEN RECHTS
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 757 625,00
Address
WILHELMSPLATZ 1
37073 Gottingen
Germany

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Region
Niedersachsen Braunschweig Göttingen
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 757 625,00

Participants (5)

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