TOH edition: Tuesday, 8 September 2026 · Science & Technology
When Hardware Breaks, Computers Usually Crash. A New Brain-Inspired Chip Keeps Running Through Severe Damage.
Reported by Tech Xplore
Publisher date:
Engineers at the University of Hong Kong and Hewlett Packard Labs have developed an associative memristor chip that successfully retrieves complete memories from incomplete cues and continues operating even when large portions of its hardware are destroyed. Conventional computer chips suffer catastrophic failures when individual circuits fracture, but this new architecture mimics the human brain's distributed, damage-tolerant resilience. The breakthrough paves the way for dependable electronics capable of functioning autonomously in harsh environments, from deep space exploration to critical infrastructure.
By replicating the biological resilience of the human brain, engineers have built electronics that survive physical damage, laying the groundwork for uncrashable systems in deep space and critical public infrastructure.
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