Researchers in Switzerland say they have made microchips that imitate the way our brains process information, unlocking some of the mystery around how the world’s most efficient computer functions.

Scientists at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, together with colleagues in Germany and the United States, created electronic systems comparable to a human brain both in size, speed and energy consumption, the university said in a statement.

Just like the brain, their so-called neuromorphic chips are capable of processing and reacting to information in real time, it said.

“The challenge is to build something as close as possible to an actual brain,” Giacomo Indiveri, a University of Zurich professor of Neuroinformatics and one of the researchers on the project, told AFP.

Systems in the past have been designed to react to their environments, as with blinds that automatically close when sunlight hits them. (AFP)