Jeopardy Champions vs. IBM’s Watson Computer

This week the popular “Jeopardy!” quiz show will feature a match between two of the show’s top contestants from the past and an IBM-designed supercomputer named Watson. Researchers at IBM have spent four years programming and scanning information into the computer, which is the size of 10 refrigerators and has 15 trillion-bytes of memory. The three will be competing for a $1 million grand prize which will be awarded on Feb. 16. If Watson wins, IBM will be donating the prize to charity.

Watson represents a milestone in the field of artificial intelligence. IBM has been secretive about the cost of developing Watson, but Carnegie Mellon computer science professor Eric Nyberg estimates the cost as at least $100 million. IBM is already looking into practical applications for Watson after its run on “Jeopardy!” is complete.

Visit the Wired website to read more about Watson and the IBM Jeopardy Challenge.