US military invests $900 million on the next generation microchips capable of powering killer AI robots

  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced six new projects
  • It will spend $75 million (£55 million) each year on three research aims
  • It hopes to enable Moore's law to continue to apply to micro-processing power
  • This predicts that computing power will double roughly every two years
  • New technologies will be needed for the creation of advanced AI systems

Killer robots of the future will need more powerful chips to allow them to process vast amounts of data.

The US military has now announced it is investing $900 million (£665 million) on advanced materials and technologies to make these processors a reality.

It hope its efforts will enable the 50 years of growth in micro-processing power to continue over the coming century.

This will allow for the creation of advanced AI systems, ranging from killing machines to cars, planes and other autonomous technology.

Advanced AI systems of the future will need more powerful chips to allow them to process vast amounts of data. The US military announced it is investing $900 million on materials and technologies to make these processors a reality (stock image from The Terminator)

Advanced AI systems of the future will need more powerful chips to allow them to process vast amounts of data. The US military announced it is investing $900 million on materials and technologies to make these processors a reality (stock image from The Terminator)

MOORE'S LAW 

Gordon Moore was one of the giants of the microelectronics revolution and was the co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel.

In 1965, Moore famously predicted that the transistor-count of integrated circuits would double every year or two while the cost per transistor would decrease.

This prediction, that computing power would double roughly every two years, has been proved accurate.

It has been used in the microchip industry to guide long-term planning and to set targets for research and development. 

But rising manufacturing costs and the limitations of existing chip technologies mean that new avenues of research are needed for this pace of growth to continue in the future. 

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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Electronics Resurgence Initiative’s will create six new programs over the next four years.

These are aimed at ensuring the predictions made by Moore's law, which have governed the increases in microchip processing power, will continue to apply to chip development.

Three areas will be focused on, materials and integration, circuit design, and systems architecture.

The project will see $75 million (£55 million) spent each year on each of these research and development aims.

Bill Chappell, director of the Agency’s Microsystems Technology Office, said: 'Moore's Law has guided the electronics industry for more than 50 years.

'Moore’s Law has set the technology community on a quest for continued scaling and those who have mastered the technology to date have enjoyed the greatest commercial benefits and the greatest gains in defense capabilities.

'The current trajectory is straining commercial and defense developments.' 

Gordon Moore was one of the giants of the microelectronics revolution and was the co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel.

DARPA hope its efforts will enable the 50 years of growth in micro-processing power to continue over the coming century. Their research hopes to  ensure the predictions made by Moore's law, that computing power would double roughly every two years, will continue

DARPA hope its efforts will enable the 50 years of growth in micro-processing power to continue over the coming century. Their research hopes to ensure the predictions made by Moore's law, that computing power would double roughly every two years, will continue

In 1965, Moore famously predicted that the transistor-count of integrated circuits would double every year or two while the cost per transistor would decrease.

This prediction, that computing power would double roughly every two years, has been proved accurate.

It has been used in the microchip industry to guide long-term planning and to set targets for research and development. 

But rising manufacturing costs and the limitations of existing chip technologies mean that new avenues of research are needed for this pace of growth to continue in the future. 

It follows an announcement in June that the US military is investing $65 million into a programme to develop a 'brain chip' allowing humans to simply plug into a computer.

It says the system could give soldiers supersenses and even help treat people with blindness, paralysis and speech disorders

The goal is 'developing an implantable system able to provide precision communication between the brain and the digital world,' DARPA officials said.

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