Technology Roadmap of Bioinspired Computing Hardware

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Shuang Wang - , Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Author)
  • Zhiyuan Li - , Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Author)
  • Mengjiao Pei - , Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Author)
  • Qinqi Ren - , Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Author)
  • Ming Deng - , Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Author)
  • Kah Wee Ang - , National University of Singapore (Author)
  • Alon Ascoli - , Polytechnic University of Turin (Author)
  • Sarbajit Banerjee - , ETH Zurich, Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) (Author)
  • Michele Bonnin - , Polytechnic University of Turin (Author)
  • Yoeri van de Burgt - , Eindhoven University of Technology (Author)
  • Bojun Cheng - , Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) (Author)
  • Leon Chua - , University of California at Berkeley (Author)
  • Pier Paolo Civalleri - , Polytechnic University of Turin (Author)
  • Fernando Corinto - , Polytechnic University of Turin (Author)
  • Tie Jun Cui - , Southeast University, Nanjing (Author)
  • Saptarshi Das - , Pennsylvania State University (Author)
  • Ahmet Samil Demirkol - , Professor (rtd.) of Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering (Author)
  • Sebastiaan van Dijken - , Aalto University (Author)
  • Yijia Fan - , Tsinghua University (Author)
  • Lu Fang - , Tsinghua University (Author)
  • Matteo Farronato - , Polytechnic University of Milan (Author)
  • Zi Rui Feng - , Southeast University, Nanjing (Author)
  • Emanuele Gemo - , Polytechnic University of Turin (Author)
  • Marco Gilli - , Polytechnic University of Turin (Author)
  • Sreetosh Goswami - , Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (Author)
  • Yuhui He - , Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Author)
  • Chaoran Huang - , Chinese University of Hong Kong (Author)
  • Qianqian Huang - , Peking University (Author)
  • Cheol Seong Hwang - , Seoul National University (Author)
  • Daniele Ielmini - , Polytechnic University of Milan (Author)
  • Yoon Ho Jang - , Yonsei University (Author)
  • Zdenka Kuncic - , University of Sydney (Author)
  • Max Christian Lemme - , RWTH Aachen University, AMO GmbH (Author)
  • Can Li - , The University of Hong Kong (Author)
  • Shi Jun Liang - , Nanjing University (Author)
  • Keqin Liu - , Peking University (Author)
  • Shaojie Liu - , Chinese University of Hong Kong (Author)
  • Jin Luo - , Peking University (Author)
  • Qian Ma - , Southeast University, Nanjing (Author)
  • Wolfgang Maass - , Graz University of Technology (Author)
  • Piergiulio Mannocci - , Polytechnic University of Milan (Author)
  • Ioannis Messaris - , Professor (rtd.) of Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering (Author)
  • Feng Miao - , Nanjing University (Author)
  • Thomas Mikolajick - , Chair of Nanoelectronics, NaMLab - Nanoelectronic materials laboratory gGmbH (Author)
  • Vasilis Ntinas - , Chair of Fundamentals of Electronics (Author)
  • John Ponis - , ETH Zurich, Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) (Author)
  • Themis Prodromakis - , University of Edinburgh (Author)
  • Dimitris Prousalis - , Chair of Fundamentals of Electronics (Author)
  • Qiming Shao - , Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Science Park (Author)
  • Stefan Slesazeck - , NaMLab - Nanoelectronic materials laboratory gGmbH (Author)
  • John Paul Strachan - , Jülich Research Centre, RWTH Aachen University (Author)
  • Hongwei Tan - , Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Author)
  • Jianshi Tang - , Tsinghua University (Author)
  • Ronald Tetzlaff - , Professor (rtd.) of Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering (Author)
  • Le Phuong Lan Tran - , Eindhoven University of Technology (Author)
  • Ilia Valov - , Jülich Research Centre, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (Author)
  • Anthony Vorias - , Eindhoven University of Technology (Author)
  • Benshan Wang - , Chinese University of Hong Kong (Author)
  • Jiangjing Wang - , Xi'an Jiaotong University (Author)
  • Shengbo Wang - , The University of Hong Kong (Author)
  • Xiaozhe Wang - , Xi'an Jiaotong University (Author)
  • Yasai Wang - , Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Author)
  • Huaqiang Wu - , Tsinghua University (Author)
  • Qiangfei Xia - , University of Massachusetts Amherst (Author)
  • Kai Xiao - , Southern University of Science and Technology (Author)
  • Zhihua Xiao - , Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Science Park (Author)
  • Zheshun Xiong - , University of Massachusetts Amherst (Author)
  • Tengji Xu - , Chinese University of Hong Kong (Author)
  • Ming Jay Yang - , Jülich Research Centre (Author)
  • Yuchao Yang - , Peking University (Author)
  • Yuekun Yang - , Nanjing University (Author)
  • Wei Zhang - , Xi'an Jiaotong University (Author)
  • Yang Chai - , Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Author)

Abstract

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly constrained by fundamental hardware bottlenecks in computation throughput and energy efficiency. Bioinspired computing (BIC) offers a promising alternative by emulating the intrinsic advantages of biological systems, such as parallelism, adaptability, and robustness. Progress in BIC hardware demands interdisciplinary convergence that bridges materials science and device physics with neuroscience, computer science, mathematics, and information science. Therefore, the development of this cross-disciplinary field urgently requires a comprehensive roadmap that analyzes systematically and in-depth the frontier issues and the latest progress. In this roadmap, we categorize the critical challenges into three components: hardware foundations, architectures, and prototype realizations. We highlight how biological features inspire the design of BIC hardware through device physics and discuss their performance metrics and engineering challenges. We then describe how diverse signaling rules and structural organizations in BIC architectures support specific computational prototypes, including electronic and photonic BIC chips, and present a technological roadmap that outlines opportunities to expand the functional scope of BIC hardware through coordinated advances in devices, architectures, and system demonstrations. This ongoing convergence of interdisciplinary knowledge can help accelerate the shift toward high-efficiency AI hardware.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)8102-8163
Number of pages62
JournalACS nano
Volume20
Issue number10
Publication statusPublished - 17 Mar 2026
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0001-7436-0103/work/211000787
ORCID /0000-0002-1236-1300/work/211001485
ORCID /0000-0003-3814-0378/work/211003150
ORCID /0000-0002-2367-5567/work/211003884
ORCID /0000-0002-6200-4707/work/211004945

Keywords

Keywords

  • bioinspired architecture, bioinspired computing, in-memory computing, in-sensor computing, neuromorphic chips, neuronal device, retinomorphic device, synaptic device