Chinese Researchers Unveil World's Largest-Scale Brain-Like Computer Darwin Dog Named Pluto

Pluto, the world’s first super large-scale brain-like computer, developed in China using neuromorphic chips.

In a landmark leap for neuromorphic computing, Chinese scientists today introduced the “Darwin Dog,” affectionately named Pluto—the world’s first super large-scale brain-like computer built entirely on dedicated neuromorphic chips.

Pluto’s architecture mirrors the neural complexity of a primate brain, boasting more than 2 billion spiking neurons and over 100 billion synapses, while operating on just about 2,000 watts of power—remarkably efficient for a machine of this magnitude.

Developed by a leading research team in Zhejiang Province, the system is powered by 960 Darwin 3 neuromorphic chips, each containing more than 2.35 million spiking neurons and hundreds of millions of synapses. The chips are distributed across 15 blade-style neuromorphic servers, all coordinated under a newly designed brain-inspired operating system.

Pluto already runs an advanced brain-like large model capable of logical reasoning, content generation, and complex mathematical problem-solving. It can also simulate the neural activity of diverse animal brains—from nematodes and zebrafish to mice and macaques—opening vast possibilities for neuroscience research without the need for live animal testing.

According to the project’s lead scientist, Pluto combines high parallelism, low energy consumption, and unprecedented scale, potentially setting the stage for the next generation of AI systems. While human cognition still surpasses the machine in adaptability and nuance, Pluto’s processing speed has already exceeded that of the human brain in specific tasks—signaling the dawn of a new era in brain-inspired computing.