Neuromorphic Computing: Six Million Euros for a New Research Facility

With a sum of six million euros, three private sponsors have secured the funding for a new facility intended for Heidelberg scientists in the European Human Brain Project who are developing new and pioneering computer systems in a field known as neuromorphic computing. Honorary Senator Dr Hans-Peter Wild is supporting the planned facility with three million euros, while the Klaus Tschira Foundation and the Dietmar Hopp Stiftung are both contributing 1.5 million euros to the project. "We are creating something new: Thanks to this generous financial support, we are able to build a modern research facility with a large machine hall for the cognitive computers of the future," explains Bernhard Eitel, President of Heidelberg University. The future European Institute for Neuromorphic Computing (EINC) will be located on the University's Neuenheimer Feld campus. The EINC will house the team of Karlheinz Meier of the Kirchhoff Institute for Physics. Under the direction of Prof. Meier, Heidelberg scientists are working with colleagues from various European research institutions to build a technological platform for neuromorphic computing; the prototype of this platform was presented and opened for use last year. The term "neuromorphic" describes systems that are based on electronic models of neural microcircuits.