Our GPU based simulator framework is faster than previous solutions

What is it about?

In this paper we tested the efficiency of our GPU based simulation framework for brain simulations in terms of speed and energy efficiency. While it is always difficult to make fair comparisons in this area, we did find that our framework did match or outperform recently published results obtained on a super-computer and on a neuromorphic system.

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Why is it important?

Brain simulations are becoming increasingly important for understanding how the brain works and how it malfunctions in disease and disorder. However, current computers are still too slow and too small to allow detailed simulations of models approximating the size of the human brain. Scientists across the world are developing larger traditional and more unconventional computers to improve computational brain modelling. Our own framework for brain simulations uses GPUs which have only recently been established as scientific computing accelerators. This paper demonstrates that they are well-suited for brain simulations.