Manchester is the place where AI was born. It was conceived when Alan Turing, a resident academic, published Computing Machinery and Intelligence, the paper credited for starting modern thinking around AI.
75 years on, our researchers continue to lead the field, by creating the world’s largest neuromorphic computing platform, simulating brain circuits in biological real time.
20 years in conception and 15 in construction, the SpiNNaker (short for spiking neural network architecture) is a neuromorphic computing platform incorporating over one million ARM mobile phone processors and capable of modelling spiking neural networks at the scale of a mouse brain in biological real time.
This machine, hosted at The University of Manchester, provides cutting-edge research capability to advance our knowledge in neuroscience and computing.
Offering access to real-time brain modelling, it enables researchers to test new hypotheses about how the brain might work. It also aids the investigation of new computer architectures, helping to break the rules of conventional supercomputing to lead to new and advanced principles for energy-efficient brain-inspired AI.
Completely digital, it can be used in numerous experiments and applications and supports research across multiple sectors, including robotics, machine learning, computational and theoretical neuroscience, and art.
In addition to the million-core machine at Manchester, around 100 smaller SpiNNaker machines have been loaned and sold to research labs around the world. Examples of its impact include:
Enabling UK business MindTrace, in its early start-up phase, to generate new intellectual property described as “unique in the commercial world’’, and offering “substantial cost, energy efficiency and speed advantages over competitive approaches.’’
Stimulated industry-funded research, with an estimated total value of €60 million across projects including KI-ASIC, a venture between Infineon and BMW, and Scale4Edge, a collaboration between Infineon and Bosch.
Building on the technology and expertise developed through SpiNNaker 1, UoM worked in partnership with University of Dresden on the chip design for SpiNNaker 2, supporting the advancement of next-generation neuromorphic computing hardware and helping to translate earlier research breakthroughs into a more scalable, efficient platform for future academic and industry applications.
Speak to our scientific team
Professor André van Schaik
Group Lead and Director of International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems
- André was the Director of the International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems at Western Sydney University from 2018 to 2024, and is the current Director of our new Centre in Manchester. His research focuses on neuromorphic engineering and computational neuroscience
Dr Andrew Rowley
Senior Research Software Engineer
- Since 2014, Andrew has been leading the software development for SpiNNaker where, along with a team of Research Software Engineers, he has been designing and implementing the tools that allow large neural networks to be compiled and executed on the Million-core Machine and results to be read back and interpreted.
Dr Davide Bertozzi
Scientific Lead
- Davide's research focuses on system innovation through communication architectures and emerging technologies, particularly interconnect-centric design and networks-on-chip. His work spans large-scale EU and national projects, silicon photonics for computer communications, and electro‑optical interconnection fabrics for 3D‑stacked systems, with around 180 scientific publications in the field.
Previous leaders
Professor Emeritus Steve Furber
Steve led the SpiNNaker team from 1990 to 2024 and conceived the architectural innovations required to support real-time brain modelling back in 2000 to 2005.