NL-ECO

The digital revolution has benefited mankind enormously. The widespread use of digital devices and technologies, such as computers, internet and data centres, generally make our life more efficient and provide opportunities in areas of application such as medicine. These technologies are energy guzzlers, however. The volume of digital information we process and store and the associated energy costs are growing exponentially. Testbed for new technologies To rein in that huge growth in energy consumption, NL-ECO aims to develop new materials, technologies and scientific insights for energy-efficient information technology. “We really want to be a breeding ground and testbed for new technologies”, says Hilgenkamp. The consortium of 33 organisations will carry out fundamental research into the digital technologies of the future. Brain as source of inspiration By way of inspiration for those new technologies, one of the areas NL-ECO is looking at is the human brain: the most energy-efficient computer available. “The brain is still a lot better than the latest computers for many applications – pattern recognition, for example. Not only in terms of speed, but also when it comes to energy consumption”, Hilgenkamp explains. If we can learn something from that, maybe self-driving vehicles will be more efficient in the future. Wide-ranging consortium Imitating the brain is not an end in itself, but exploring ‘neuromorphic’ concepts based on how the brain works is one of the possible routes that the consortium wants to take. The researchers are also going to look at other materials and insights to make information technology more sustainable. The aim is to develop a variety of scalable concepts in the next five years that industry can take up and develop further. The wide-ranging consortium comprises 33 organisations in the academic world, societal partners, local government and industry.