Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have built a superconducting switch that "learns" like a biological system and could connect processors and store memories in future computers operating like the human brain.

Above – Illustrations showing the basic operation of NIST's artificial synapse, which could connect processors and store memories in future neuromorphic computers operating like the human brain. A synapse is a connection or switch between two brain cells. NIST's artificial synapse is a tiny metal cylinder that processes incoming electrical spikes to customize spiking output signals based on a tunable internal design. Researchers apply current pulses to control the number of nanoclusters pointing in the same direction, as depicted in the "disordered" versus "ordered" illustrations. This design, in which different inputs alter the alignment and resulting output signals, is inspired by how the brain operates. Credit: NIST

The NIST switch, described in Science Advances (link is external), is called a synapse, like its biological counterpart, and it supplies a missing piece for so-called neuromorphic computers. Envisioned as a new type of artificial intelligence, such computers could boost perception and decision-making for applications such as self-driving cars and cancer diagnosis.