Reverse Engineering the Human Brain

I am thrilled to bring you my latest conversation with the incredible Steve Furber. Listen here.

Steve Furber is a seminal computer scientist, mathematician and hardware designer whose work includes the BBC Microcomputer and the ARM 32-bit RISC microprocessor which can be found in over 100 billion devices today.

Steve studied both Maths followed by a PhD in Aerodynamics at Cambridge University before joining Hermann Hauser and Chris Curry at Acorn Computers. For the next decade, he would work with a first-class team of engineers and designers to revolutionise the home computer market before he and Sophie Wilson went on to design the ARM processor with a relatively small team and budget and with little inkling of the consequence it might bring to the world. Listen here.

In 1990, Steve left Acorn moved to?Manchester?where he is now?Professor?of?Computer Engineering at the university there. He was charged with leading research into?asynchronous systems,?low-power electronics?and?neural engineering which?led to the SpiNNaker project - a super computer incorporating a million ARM processors which are optimised for?computational neuroscience. He is basically trying to reverse engineer the brain – a lofty ambition, even by his own admission!

In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss Steve’s life journey from studying maths with professors such as the famed John Conway and Sir James Lighthill to the highs and lows of building the BBC Micro, and the fascinating story behind the ARM 32-bit RISC microprocessor.

Listen here.

Enjoy!

Danielle