A new White House Grand Challenge seeks to develop nanotechnology-based solutions to guide the future of computing.
In October, the White House announced a nanotechnology-inspired Grand Challenge to develop transformational computing capabilities by combining innovations in multiple scientific disciplines. The goal of the challenge, which was chosen from more than 100 proposals, is to “Create a new type of computer that can proactively interpret and learn from data, solve unfamiliar problems using what it has learned, and operate with the energy efficiency of the human brain.”
Problems that nanotechnology-based computing capabilities may overcome include delivering personalized medical treatments, allowing robots to work safely alongside humans, and identifying and blocking cyber attacks. Other problems that could benefit from novel nanotech-based computing solutions can be found in a report (PDF, 4 MB) produced earlier this year by the Semiconductor Industry Association and the Semiconductor Research Corporation, with support from the National Science Foundation.
Solving these problems will require new kinds of nanoscale devices and materials integrated into three-dimensional systems. These systems can be incorporated into new computing architectures informed by our growing understanding of information processing in the brain. In turn, the computing capabilities created by this grand challenge will likely expand neuroscientists’ abilities to analyze complex experimental data sets and develop more sophisticated models of the brain, both of which are goals of the BRAIN Initiative.
Over the coming months, various federal agencies, professional societies, industry groups, and non-profit organizations will be coming together in workshops and other forums to determine the best path forward to address this grand challenge. The first such workshop was held October 29-30 in Gaithersburg, MD. Information about future meetings can be found here:
http://www.nano.gov/node/1523#meetingsandworkshops
The Nanotechnology Grand Challenge joins a handful of other White House 21st Century Grand Challenges, including the BRAIN Initiative, the Department of Energy’s Sunshot Grand Challenge to make solar energy cost competitive, NASA’s Asteroid Grand Challenge to address asteroid-based threats to human populations, and USAID’s Saving Lives at Birth Grand Challenge to develop prevention and treatment approaches to make childbirth safer.
More information can be found at the following websites:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/10/15/nanotechnology-inspired-grand-challenge-future-computing