ERC Proof of Concept grant for Erika Covi

Dr. Erika Covi of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (University of Groningen) has been awarded a Proof of Concept grant from the European Research Council (ERC). Covi will use the grant to develop brain-inspired AI hardware.

The EUR 150,000 grant is intended to explore the potential of new technologies and take the next step toward innovation. Covi is building on the foundation of a previous project for which she received the ERC Starting grant.

Revolutionizing AI with brain-Inspired hardware

The new AI hardware system that the CoSy group, led by Covi, will develop combines memory and processing using ferroelectric leaky integrate-and-fire (FeLIF) neurons based on FeFET non-volatile memory technology. This approach enables efficient on-chip learning and temporal data processing with low power and area requirements. They will also implement a tailored training method to optimize temporal AI tasks. The system will be designed using a 28nm technology node, aiming to create a compact, adaptive, and energy-efficient AI solution for edge applications.