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| Numenta Releases Software Platform for Intelligent Computing Numenta has announced the availability of the Research Release of the Numenta Platform for Intelligent Computing (NuPIC), a new type of computing platform that provides a foundation to solve many difficult problems in computing such as machine learning and pattern recognition. Numenta's software platform is based on Hierarchical Temporal Memory (HTM) technology, which is modeled after the human neocortex. This release is designed to allow anyone to experiment with HTM technology, and ultimately to create and deploy powerful new computing applications. "Coaxing computers to perform basic acts of perception and robotics, let alone high-level thought, has been difficult. No computer in the world today can recognize pictures, understand language, or move easily through a complex environment", said Numenta co-founder Jeff Hawkins. "Numenta's platform offers the possibility to solve these problems, and to create entirely new types of applications that perform tasks no computer can today." NuPIC is based on a new type of memory architecture called Hierarchical Temporal Memory or HTM. Jeff Hawkins first discussed the biological basis of HTM in his 2004 book On Intelligence. Briefly explained, HTM technology builds models of the world using a spatio-temporal hierarchical memory architecture, similar to how information is learned and stored in the neocortex. These models can be used for inference and prediction to solve important, yet currently intractable problems. "HTMs learn through observation, much like a child does", noted Hawkins. "You don't program HTMs like you program a computer. Using software tools, HTMs are trained through exposure to sensory data. Their resulting capabilities are determined largely by the data to which the system has been exposed." write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Computing News :: home page |