Boeing CTO: Quantum Computing, Neuromorphic Technologies “Form The Core” Of Aerospace Innovation Written 18 October 2018

Bloomberg News reports that The Boeing Company is creating a new unit to focus on new technologies including neuromorphic processing, which “mimics the synapses of the human brain and hack-proof communications links based on applied quantum physics.” Such technologies “increasingly form the core of aerospace innovation, like the networks that may one day manage millions of airborne drones, said Greg Hyslop, Boeing’s chief technology officer.” In an interview Wednesday, Hyslop argued that advanced computing and sensors will have a “profound impact” on Boeing. He added, “We thought it’s time to do this.” The new Boeing unit, “known as Disruptive Computing and Networks, will help develop breakthroughs in secure communications and artificial intelligence that bolster its manufacturing” while also developing commercial products. The division will be headed by Charles Toups, “who was general manager of Boeing Research & Technology, the company’s central research and development organization,” and will be based in Southern California, but Hyslop “declined to say how much Boeing plans to spend on the advanced computing initiative.” Neuromorphic chips may be able to eventually “perform machine learning instantaneously” and be incorporated into Boeing aircraft to support autonomous flight.
More Info (Bloomberg News)