IBM has developed a microprocessor which it claims comes closer than ever to replicating the human brain.
The system is capable of "rewiring" its connections as it encounters new information, similar to the way biological synapses work.
Researchers believe that that by replicating that feature, the technology could start to learn.
Cognitive computers may eventually be used for understanding human behaviour as well as environmental monitoring.
IBM's processors replicate the system of synaptic connections found in the human brain.
Dharmendra Modha, IBM's project leader, explained that they were trying to recreate aspects of the mind such as emotion, perception, sensation and cognition by "reverse engineering the brain."
The SyNAPSE system uses two prototype "neurosynaptic computing chips". Both have 256 computational cores, which the scientists described as the electronic equivalent of neurons.
One chip has 262,144 programmable synapses, while the other contains 65,536 learning synapses.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14574747
Note: 18 August 2011 Last updated at 13:49 GMT