# Carver Mead Says Neuromorphic Efficiency Can Help AI

- Show: [EE Times Current](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current)
- Published: 2024-10-04
- Length: 1h 05m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-10-04-carver-mead-says-neuromorphic-efficiency-can-help-ai
- Listen: https://podcast.show/aspencore/episode/137029861/

## Summary

Caltech’s Professor Carver Mead, a founder of neuromorphic engineering and early Intel employee, discusses the origins of parallel processing, the transition from analog to digital AI, and his work at startups like Fauvian and Synaptics. He explains how his early work on scaling transistors and silicon compilers laid the groundwork for modern parallel computation, while his collaboration with Misha Mahowald led to the first event-based retinas. The episode also features commentary from Dr. Giulia D’Angelo and Prof. Ralph Etienne-Cummings on the current state of neuromorphic hardware, the inefficiencies of digital backpropagation, and the potential of dendritic computing for autonomous vehicles.

## Chapters

- [0:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-10-04-carver-mead-says-neuromorphic-efficiency-can-help-ai#t=2) Introduction: Carver Mead and the History of Neuromorphic Engineering
- [2:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-10-04-carver-mead-says-neuromorphic-efficiency-can-help-ai#t=142) Mead's Early Work at Intel and the Invention of Silicon Compilers
- [15:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-10-04-carver-mead-says-neuromorphic-efficiency-can-help-ai#t=913) The Origin of Neuromorphic Engineering with Misha Mahowald
- [19:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-10-04-carver-mead-says-neuromorphic-efficiency-can-help-ai#t=1145) Critique of Digital AI and the Need for Parallel Hardware
- [29:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-10-04-carver-mead-says-neuromorphic-efficiency-can-help-ai#t=1797) The Fauvian Silicon Color Sensor and Sigma Cameras
- [35:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-10-04-carver-mead-says-neuromorphic-efficiency-can-help-ai#t=2155) Dendritic Trees and Event-Based Processing for Autonomous Vehicles
- [44:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-10-04-carver-mead-says-neuromorphic-efficiency-can-help-ai#t=2695) Advice for Young Engineers on Risk and Innovation
- [52:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-10-04-carver-mead-says-neuromorphic-efficiency-can-help-ai#t=3146) Commentary: D’Angelo, Etienne-Cummings, and Bains on Future Directions

## Topics

- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- Intel (company)
- Fauvian (company)
- Synaptics (company)
- Sigma (company)
- National Semiconductor (company)
- Caltech (company)
- University College London (company)
- Johns Hopkins University (company)
- Czech Technical University (company)
- Fairchild (company)
- NVIDIA (company)
- Carnegie Mellon (company)
- Harvard (company)
- X3 (product)
- Misha Mahowald Prize (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode 67: A Conversation with Aart de Geus on EDA and the Future of Silicon Design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2024-05-13-episode-67-a-conversation-with-aart-de-geus-on-eda-and-the-future-of-silicon-des) (The Circuit)
- [The Evolution of AI in IoT | BrainChip's Nandan Nayampally | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-04-13-the-evolution-of-ai-in-iot-brainchips-nandan-nayampally-internet-of-things-podca) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Federico Faggin designed the first microprocessor and the capacitive touchscreen. He joins Go/No-Go to argue that AI cannot be conscious, however capable it becomes.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2026-06-26-federico-faggin-designed-the-first-microprocessor-and-the-capacitive-touchscreen) (Go/No-Go)
- [376: Left Half of My Brain Is Digital](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-06-10-376-left-half-of-my-brain-is-digital) (Embedded.fm)
- [107. Mitigating High Emissions of Autonomous Cars](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-01-31-107-mitigating-high-emissions-of-autonomous-cars) (The Next Byte Podcast)

## Citing this page

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