IBM has won a pretty significant contract for its neurosynaptic processor, called TrueNorth, which uses an architecture similar to the mammalian brain in order to achieve incredible computational power at very low power levels. This week, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) announced that it is going to use TrueNorth to evaluate the safety of the USA’s nuclear arsenal. The sixteen chips are being delivered as part of a $1m contract, and will power a super-computing system that will simulate the security and the inevitable deterioration of the US nuclear weapon stockpile, for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Crucially, this avoids the need for underground nuclear testing, as the computer will simulate the performance of the weapons. With TrueNorth…