In August 2019, the Tianjic Chip achieved by Shi Luping's team
from the Center for Brain Inspired Computing Research (CBICR) of Tsinghua University was published in Nature
as a cover story. It was the first hybrid
neuromorphic chip in the world, bridging computer science and neuroscience to
develop artificial general intelligence. Its processing ability was
successfully verified in the application scenario of autonomous bicycles, and
it was also the first time that the research of the domestic team in the field
of AI and chips appeared on the cover of Nature.
As the first author of this thesis, Deng Lei is the first Ph.D
in the field of brain-inspired computing in China. It can be said that he is
the first group of young scientists to see the future of brain-inspired
computing.
Deng Lei studied in the Precision Instrument Department of
the University of Science and Technology of China, focusing on robots and
optoelectronic systems. After completing his undergraduate studies in 2012, the
concept of "brain-inspired computing" in an academic environment aroused
his interest. The lecture that moved him was given by Shi Luping, the tutor of his future
doctorate.
At that time, "brain-inspired computing" did not
even have related entries in domestic search engines. However, Deng Lei
believes that it will be a combination of machine learning and neuromorphic
computing technology that will make this field more essential and profound, which
was a huge attraction to him: "I prefer to reveal the secrets of the
general intelligence of the human brain rather than choosing one of two
technical directions alone."
Therefore, when Shi Luping joined Tsinghua in 2013 and
started to organize the CBICR, Deng Lei also became a member of the team and
started his research in brain-inspired computing.
After the birth of Tianjic, the team also developed the
first-generation brain-inspired computing software tool chain, which can
support automatic mapping and compilation from the neural network programming
platform to Tianjic. At present, the team has started research on the
next-generation chip, which is expected to be completed early next year.
Recalling the constructing of the center from zero, Deng Lei
said with a smile: "I feel quite lonely without the seniors." But
with the follow-up research on Tianjic continuing in this direction, he also
believes that more and more people will join this extremely challenging
direction in the future, opening up more possibilities.
