Brain Processing Unit

About

The rapid advancement of AI is influencing every aspect of society, from creative domains such as generating text and images to addressing significant social challenges like early disease detection and climate change prediction. This technological innovation is profoundly transforming the way we work and live, while also challenging us to reconsider what defines the unique strengths of humans. Today, the distinctive abilities of the human brain—such as adaptability to unfamiliar environments and remarkable learning efficiency—are garnering renewed attention and focus.

The SoftBank Research Institute of Advanced Technology has been focusing on these brain functions and actively researching their application to computing technologies. One of our key breakthroughs involves "cerebral organoids," small artificial brain tissues created using iPS cells. These tissues, though only a few millimeters in diameter, can cultivate up to nearly 100 million neurons, similar to those in the human brain. We have developed a device that provides electrical stimuli to these cultivated neurons ("mini-brains"), simulating human sensory inputs such as vision and hearing. This device also captures the signals processed by the neural networks within these organoids. We have named this system the "Brain Processing Unit." By exchanging information with these "mini-brains" using this device, we believe it is possible to create a computational accelerator that harnesses the strengths of the brain's unique capabilities.

Since 2022, we have been collaborating with artist Daito Manabe and the Ikeuchi Laboratory at the University of Tokyo on this project. Together, we have been working on methods to stimulate cerebral organoids, analyze their activity data, and develop the necessary APIs, networks, and other interface technologies required for these operations. This exhibition showcases the current state of cerebral organoid research and the vision we are pursuing through cutting-edge technologies.