CAREER: Maximum-Information Memory System: Theory, Implementation and Application

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On-chip embedded memory is a critical component in today?s large-scale integrated systems. This project aims to develop a completely new memory design methodology that is referred to as Maximum-Information Memory System (MIMS). The key idea is to maximize the information density (i.e., the number of information bits per unit area) or information efficiency (i.e., the number of information bits per unit power). Towards this goal, a radically new information theoretical framework will be developed with three critical components: (1) an analytical information model to quantitatively measure the number of information bits stored in a given memory system, (2) a number of different circuit implementation options to achieve maximum-information storage, and (3) a comprehensive study of high-level performance metrics (e.g., signal-to-noise ratio) to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed MIMS system in real-life signal processing applications. The combination of these research efforts would provide a fundamental infrastructure that facilitates next-generation memory design for nanoscale IC technologies.The proposed project offers a fundamentally new view of memory design based on information theory. It is expected to yield significant performance improvement for on-chip memory circuits over a broad range of applications, from consumer electronics (e.g., smart phones) to medical instruments (e.g., implantable medical devices). Hence, successful development of the proposed MIMS framework will have both short-term and long-term impacts on U.S. industry and improve U.S. competitiveness in science and technology. In addition, given its broad coverage of multiple science and engineering fields such as statistics, circuits, etc., the proposed project offers a number of unique education and training opportunities for both university students and industrial engineers. It will substantially improve the education infrastructure and generate high-quality researchers and engineers in related fields.