It may sound like something out of a 1960s sci-fi movie, but Qualcomm’s ‘brain chips’ are due to go commercial as early as next year, says the firm. It has been working on the Zeroth neuromorphic chip platform, which claims to mimic the way the brain works, and could be a significant new source of revenues and IPR power if its neural networking techniques really can solve some of the challenges facing robotics. The aim is to create a widely applicable ‘neural processing unit’ (NPU) to perform the core functions to support activities such as deep learning, in the same way that a GPU supports key underlying functions to drive graphics. It feels like a long term bet ‘ and…