Artificial Intelligence Update

A Blue Gene supercomputer simulation exceeds the scale of a cat's cortex:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/news/frame.html?main=/news/news_single.html?id%3D11411

This is disputed by a rival trying to also reverse-engineer the human brain:

http://www.nytimes.com/external/idg/2009/11/24/24idg-ibm-cat-brain-simulation-dismissed-as-hoax-by-rival-39598.html

Computing Update

The DoE is working to develop a supercomputer 1,000 times more powerful than today's speed leader (Jaguar, at 2.3 petaflops) by 2018:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9140928/Supercomputers_with_100_million_cores_coming_by_2018

Artificial Intelligence Update

Dutch supercomputer establishes a new world record by defeating two human Go professionals in an official match:

http://www.hpcwire.com/offthewire/Dutch-Supercomputer-Establishes-New-Record-in-Go-45094962.html?viewAll=y

Artificial Intelligence Update

A Blue Gene supercomputer is being prepped to beat humans at the game of Jeopardy:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/technology/27jeopardy.html?_r=1

Computing Update

"IBM and the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have signed a new contract to build the next generation of IBM’s BlueGene supercomputers at the famed DOE facility. The first IBM BlueGene supercomputer, called “Dawn,” will have a top processing speed of 500 teraflops." (Due out at the end of this year.) "The second IBM system, dubbed “Sequoia,” will offer 20 petaflops of performance and surpass the records Big Blue set when it installed the massive Roadrunner system for the DOE in 2008." (Due out in 2012.) Sequoia will be nearly 20 times faster than the current fastest supercomputer:

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/IT-Infrastructure/IBM-Building-Next-Generation-of-BlueGene-Supercomputers/