Researchers Discuss the Future of Neuromorphic Computing in Erlangen

Researchers Discuss the Future of Neuromorphic Computing in Erlangen

From June 10 to 12, 2026, more than 70 scientists from across the world gathered at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) in Erlangen for the second edition of “Frontiers of Neuromorphing Computing”. The workshop focused on neuromorphic computing – an approach inspired by the human brain to develop hardware capable of performing computational tasks at high speed, with high parallelism, and using significantly less energy than today’s AI systems.

Neuromorphic Computing: A rapidly growing field of research

Chatbots, image recognition systems, and self-driving cars all operate on the basis of artificial intelligence. Training and operating these systems require enormous amounts of electricity and inevitably raise questions about the responsible use of energy resources. Neuromorphic computing is an approach based on physical processes and is therefore significantly more energy-efficient. Inspired by the human brain, scientists and technologists are developing new hardware capable of performing similar tasks far more efficiently and quickly. Just as neurons in the human brain work in parallel, the computational steps in neuromorphic computing occur in parallel rather than sequentially, as is the case with existing AI neural networks. The field of neuromorphic computing is still in its infancy, and scientists are investigating a wide variety of physical systems that could serve as the basis for this new type of hardware. These range from light-based (photonic) systems to magnetic materials and superconductors to soft matter.

Three days of intensive exchange among over 70 international experts at MPL

Leading experts from institutions such as MIT, Yale, Princeton, Cambridge, EPFL, and Google DeepMind, as well as researchers from across Europe, gathered at MPL. Over the course of three days, participants listened to invited talks and submitted papers, took part in a lively panel discussion, and presented their work on the first evening during a poster session.

A highlight of the workshop was the award ceremony for the best posters, sponsored by Axiomatic AI. Three prizes of €200 each were awarded to Briac Flesselles, Roee Ezraty, and Marie Braasch in recognition of outstanding poster presentations. The exchange of ideas during the group dinner was also well received by the participants.

An international community is taking shape

The event was organized by MPL research group leader Dr. Clara Wanjura and Managing Director and Head of the Theory Division Prof. Florian Marquardt. The workshop took place in cooperation with the ELLIS program for quantum and physics-based machine learning – a European initiative to promote cutting-edge research at the intersection of physics and artificial intelligence. Florian Marquardt is one of the founding directors of the ELLIS Unit Franken, which has been bringing together research groups from MPL, FAU, and other Franconian universities since 2026.