Neuromorphic (brain-like brain inspired chips) chips require far less power to process AI algorithms. For example, one neuromorphic chip made by IBM contains five times as many transistors as a standard Intel processor, yet consumes only 70 milliwatts of power. An Intel processor would use anywhere from 35 to 140 watts, or up to 2000 times more power.

Making powerful, useful algorithms has been hard.

Canadian AI startup Applied Brain Research has new compilers and neuromorphic chips.

Nengo, a compiler that developers can use to build their own algorithms for AI applications that will operate on general purpose neuromorphic hardware. Compilers are a software tool that programmers use to write code, and that translate that code into the complex instructions that get hardware to actually do something. What makes Nengo useful is its use of the familiar Python programming language – known for it's intuitive syntax – and its ability to put the algorithms on many different hardware platforms, including neuromorphic chips. Pretty soon, anyone with an understanding of Python could be building sophisticated neural nets made for neuromorphic hardware.

"Things like vision systems, speech systems, motion control, and adaptive robotic controllers have already been built with Nengo," Peter Suma, a trained computer scientist and the other CEO of Applied Brain Research