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Engineers at Zhejiang University have created China's first brain-like computer, named Darwin Mouse, which can copy the way a human brain works and solve complex calculations while using a small amount of the energy used by traditional supercomputers.

Though the technology is still in its early stages, experts say it could be used to run large, real-time simulations(模拟) and make new discoveries in chemistry, medicine and neuroscience. It could also be used to revolutionise computer design, leading to more powerful and efficient artificial intelligence.

Pan Gang, a professor at the university's College of Computer Science and Technology, said neuromorphic(神经形态的) computing has been a focus of the international scientific and engineering communities for some time and is considered one of the key methods to overcome the major computing challenges for artificial intelligence. Darwin Mouse represented a "major milestone achievement" in China's brain-like computing technology.

In late 2018, the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom upgraded its neuromorphic supercomputer SpiNNaker to use a million processors, enabling it to perform 2 trillion actions a second. This allowed the machine to run extremely large-scale real-time simulations, such as modelling parts of the brain. Darwin Mouse uses significantly fewer processors thanks to the latest developments in brain-like chips made in China, allowing it to perform far better.

Another advantage is low energy costs. When information is transmitted, only neurons that receive and process the signals are activated, while other neurons stay asleep, similar to how a brain works. As a result, the energy consumption can be reduced to a small part of that of conventional supercomputers.

"We hope to keep evolving the Darwin series neuromorphic computer towards reaching human levels of intelligence, thus achieving more powerful artificial intelligence with significantly less energy use. It is hopeful that brain-like computers will make their way into our daily lives as the hardware and the software for the technology mature," Pan said.