PEOPLE IN THE TECH WORLD talk of a technology “crossing the chasm" by making the leap from early adopters to the mass market. A case study in chasm crossing is now unfolding in neuromorphic computing.

The approach mimics the way neurons are connected and communicate in the human brain, and enthusiasts say neuromorphic chips can run on much less power than traditional CPUs. The problem, though, is proving that neuromorphics can move from research labs to commercial applications. The field's leading researchers spoke frankly about that challenge at the Neuro Inspired Computational Elements Workshop, held in March at the IBM research facility at Almaden, Calif.