[p1esk]

Memristor crossbars are exciting even outside of neural network applications: it can be used as a very dense, non-volatile memory. If this design can be scaled up, it could potentially replace both flash memory storage, and RAM.

[Balgair]

These things are really not well respected for what they can do. IBM introduced their TrueNorth tech late last year. Those used a 'neural' design for the chips to overcome the von Newman barriers for computer design. Along the way, the TrueNorth chips also reduced power consumption by a LOT. However, those designs are still digital. With a memristor in the TrueNorth set-up you can have a similar system for input, processing, storage, and output in an analog system.

I feel that I need to emphasize that. The memristor is the component that will easily allow for analog logic to occur at digital speeds and with digital logic type systems (very grossly speaking). What these little guys can do is under-sold.

[p1esk]

There have been dozens of analog neuromorphic chips built in the last 30 years. Latest ones use floating gate transistors for synapses. Memristors, in theory, are better devices that flash memory (faster, lower power, more dense), however that's just in theory. In practice, they are very hard to scale. This crossbar is 12x12. No one knows how to build anything much larger than that, on a mass scale.