[FRIAM] 100 billion neurons

[Jochen Fromm]

A typical human brain has about 100 billion (10^11=100.000.000.000) neurons,

but each neuron follows only very simple integrate-and-fire rules. If we 
distribute a comparatively simple program on 1.000.000 machines (which is 
only a small fraction of the Internet, Google alone has between 50.000 and 
100.000 machines, and SETI at home has over five million volunteers), and each 
is responsible for the simulation of 100.000 neurons, then we come close 
to the capacity of the human brain. How long will it take until we can 
build such a system and connect it successfully to the real world 
(through a robot) or a realistic virtual world (through an agent) ?
I guess it won't be long. As Greg Egan describes in his novel 
"Permutation City", at first the simulation may be much slower than 
reality, but enough computers are already there. What do you think ?

-J.