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TMTPOST -- Chrissy Luo, the founder of Shanda Group and the Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Institute, announced the establishment of the Spiking Intelligence Lab (SIL) on Saturday at the "From Brain-Computer Interfaces to Brain-Computer Symbiosis" forum and the Annual Meeting of the Chinese Neuroscience Society's Brain-Computer Interface and Interaction Subcommittee.
The lab, led by Professor Li Guoqi of the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, will focus on brain-inspired large models and spiking neural networks, exploring the deep integration of artificial and human intelligence.
Tianqiao Chen and Chrissy Luo, founders of Shanda Group and the Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Institute
Building Core Capabilities for Discoverative Intelligence
At the 2025 AI-Driven Science Symposium, Tianqiao Chen, founder of the Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Institute, first introduced the concept of "Discoverative Intelligence." The Spiking Intelligence Lab serves as one of the key platforms for realizing this vision.
Inauguration ceremony of the Spiking Intelligence Lab (SIL) at the Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Institute
Li said that one of the key capabilities of discovery-driven intelligence is neural dynamics. The human brain supports the complex operations of tens of billions of neurons with only about 20 watts of power consumption, providing AI with an exemplary benchmark for ultimate energy efficiency.
Unlike mainstream AI models that currently rely on scaling rules and parameter piling, SIL advocates drawing inspiration from the human brain—the most sophisticated natural carrier of intelligence—and is focusing on the development of brain-inspired large models with neural dynamic characteristics.
By deeply integrating computational features such as spike-based communication and spatiotemporal dynamic encoding with the intricate structure of dendritic neurons, the goal is to build a "whole-brain architecture" that possesses both powerful perception and profound memory and reasoning abilities, and to enable a two-way empowerment: from brain science driving AI, to AI in turn fueling advances in brain science.
According to reports, Li is a renowned young expert in China specializing in spiking neural networks and brain-inspired large models. This year, he led his team to successfully develop the first brain-inspired large spiking model, "Shunxi 1.0," marking a significant breakthrough in the integration and innovation of brain-inspired computing and large models in China.
Li Guoqi, Director of SIL at the Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Institute and Researcher at the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Institute Shifts to In-House Model
Luo noted that since its establishment, the Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Institute has primarily empowered top scientific research teams through donations and joint ventures. This includes co-founding the Neuroscience Institute with the California Institute of Technology, and establishing frontier laboratories with Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University and the Shanghai Mental Health Center, among others.
The establishment of SIL marks a new milestone for the institute. Building on the foundation of external donation-supported research, the institute has further strengthened its focus on independently-driven R&D initiatives.
As the first research body within the institute to adopt the In-House model, SIL directly recruits top-tier talents and autonomously determines its research directions. This shift transforms its role from a collaborator and enabler to a creator at the forefront, accelerating the journey from the conceptualization of discovery-driven intelligence to breakthroughs in basic theory and finally to tangible technological achievements.
Logo of SIL, Chen Institute
Supporting Critical Foundations for China's Research
The Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Institute, one of the world's largest private brain science research organizations, has launched the Spiking Intelligence Lab (SIL) to accelerate the convergence of artificial intelligence and brain science. The move marks a strategic expansion of the institute's nine-year effort supporting brain research in China through long-term investment, innovative programs, and forward-looking strategies.
The institute has previously collaborated with Fudan University's Huashan Hospital to establish an Applied Neurotechnology Laboratory, focusing on brain-computer interfaces, sleep, and cognitive decline. Its incubated company, BrainTiger Technology, has become a national leader in China』s brain-computer industry and is among the few invasive brain-computer interface companies capable of dual-decoding both motion and Chinese language signals.
In addition, the institute partnered with the Shanghai Mental Health Center to create the Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence and Mental Health Laboratory, applying AI technologies to mental health screening and diagnosis. Research results from these collaborations have been published in leading academic journals and presented at major AI conferences worldwide.
The institute has also been active in academic exchange, organizing or supporting over 300 international and interdisciplinary conferences, including forums on AI-driven science, mental health, brain-computer interfaces, and cross-disciplinary topics such as music and the brain. Its AIGC science communication platform, Grand Vision, has reached more than three million global followers, with videos surpassing 200 million views in its first year.
