It is possible to equip modern computers with many low-power processing units for such functionality, Modha said. But the buses separating the processing units could be a bottleneck, and as the data piles up, the cores need to operate at faster clock rates.

"Functionality of the chip can be simulated on today's computers. But since today's computers are unlike the brain, you pay ... magnitudes more on power and volume," Modha said.

The prototype chips incorporate a simplified model of the human brain, which has billions of neurons and trillions of synapses. IBM said the chips are the foundation of what could eventually be a "mammalian-scale system," which will include 10 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses with the power consumption and size that rivals the human brain. Modha could not provide a time frame within which the computer would be made, but said results from the current research could change the way computers are built.

Brains are also able to think "outside the box" to conduct activity, so how close do the chips actually come in terms of intelligence? Modha said the chip is intended to mimic brain-like functionality, and that digital neurons will be able to pull a wider range of stimuli and environments and respond more robustly to a wide range of situations.

IBM developed the chips along with partners as part of a multiyear research initiative called Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics (SyNAPSE), which focuses on cognitive computing. IBM and its partners are bringing together the neuroscience, nanotechnology and supercomputing fields to create the new computing platform.