The mission of CBRIC is to deliver key advances in cognitive computing, with the goal of enabling a new generation of autonomous intelligent systems. Machine learning has enabled tremendous advances in sensory perception and information retrieval tasks such as web search, object recognition in images and videos, speech recognition and natural language translation. The next wave of artificial intelligence will enable autonomous intelligent systems such as self-flying drones and personal robotic assistants. This has the potential to drive growth in computing and semiconductors, but also poses unprecedented demands in the face of diminishing benefits from semiconductor technology scaling. Autonomous intelligent systems will need to perform end-to-end functions (perception, reasoning, and decision-making) on a common energy-efficient neural substrate, continuously learn from limited data in a rapidly changing environment, demonstrate high robustness for use in safety-and mission-critical applications, and narrow the orders-of-magnitude energy efficiency gap between current computing platforms and the brain. CBRIC will address these challenges through synergistic exploration of Neuro-inspired Algorithms and Theory, Neuromorphic Hardware Fabrics, Distributed Intelligence, and Application Drivers.