Oral History of Dharmendra Modha

Interviewed by Dag Spicer, on February 20, 2024 in Mountain View, California,
© Computer History Museum

Dr. Dharmedra Modha is an IBM Fellow and IBM Chief Scientist for Brain-inspired Computing. This interview chronicles his journey from a humble upbringing in India to eventually becoming an IBM Fellow and a world-recognized pioneer in brain-inspired computing — also known as ’neuromorphic’ computing.

Born to a family of modest means, Modha recounts his formative years in India; his family values, academic struggles and successes, and, after moving to the United States, his academic maturation at UC San Diego under influential mentors. In terms of his technical career, the interview covers Modha’s early contributions at IBM, including major advances in caching algorithms and storage systems, before turning to cognitive and brain-inspired computing. Modha details the conception and development of the DARPA SyNAPSE program, leading to the creation of TrueNorth and NorthPole chips, which emulate aspects of neural architecture to achieve efficiency in time, space, and energy.

Finally, Modha reflects on the cultural and organizational strategies that fostered innovation within his team, over several decades, emphasizing the importance of humility, mentorship, and continual re-invention. Modha’s story shows a career bridging neuroscience, mathematics, and engineering that pushed technological boundaries,thanks for collaborators within IBM and the broader scientific community.

• Note: Transcripts represent what was said in the interview. However, to enhance meaning or add clarification, interviewees have the opportunity to modify this text afterward. This may result in discrepancies between the transcript and the video. Please refer to the transcript for further information – http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102809024

Visit computerhistory.org/collections/oralhistories/ for more information about the Computer History Museum’s Oral Histories Collection.

Catalog number: 102809025
Lot number: 2024.0074

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