SHF: Small: Native Stochastic Computing Based on Memristors

这项研究的目标是创建一种新的随机计算范例，以充分利用新兴的忆阻器器件，用于下一代能源有限和高性能的应用。该计算范式利用非确定记忆阻器进行本机随机计算，其中随机计算所需的随机性将是系统固有的，而无需求助于昂贵的随机数生成。本地随机计算系统由无缝集成的忆阻器存储器和随机计算元件组成。为了对该方法进行评估，通过记忆阻器存储器和随机计算电路的混合集成，创建了包括随机计算器和集群处理器的测试车辆。基于忆阻器的原生随机计算在能量和速度方面表现出了与竞争对手的CMOS基线相比的关键优势，最适合于计算密集型、数据密集型和概率应用。这项研究的跨学科性质鼓励设备和计算机硬件研究领域的紧密结合，并为学生提供在尖端纳米电子学、集成电路设计和计算机体系结构方面的出色培训。这一研究项目的毕业生拥有行业和学术界迫切需要的技能组合。这项研究以最新的本科课程和研究生课程中提供的专题的形式，为本科生和研究生课程做出贡献。研究结果和两个测试工具一起，通过专业研讨会、研讨会和高中推广计划进行传播。对本科生和少数族裔辅导的重视有助于在本研究项目的过程中吸引广泛和多样化的参与。

The objective of this research is to create a new stochastic computing paradigm to reap the full benefits of emerging memristor devices for the next generation of energy-limited and high-performance applications. The computing paradigm takes advantage of the nondeterministic memristors for native stochastic computing, where the randomness required by stochastic computing will be intrinsic to the system without resorting to expensive stochastic number generation. The native stochastic computing system consists of memristor memory and stochastic computing elements that are seamlessly integrated. To evaluate the approach, test vehicles including a stochastic calculator and a clustering processor are created by the hybrid integration of memristor memory and stochastic computing circuits. The native stochastic computing based on memristors demonstrates key advantages in energy and speed over a competitive CMOS baseline, and is best positioned for compute-intensive, data-intensive and probabilistic applications.The interdisciplinary nature of this research encourages a tight integration of device and computer hardware research areas and provides excellent training to students in cutting-edge nanoelectronics, integrated circuit design, and computer architecture. The graduates of this research program possess skill sets of critical need in both industry and academia. The research contributes to the undergraduate and graduate curriculum, in the forms of updated undergraduate courses and special topics offered in graduate courses. The research outcomes, along with two test vehicles, are disseminated through professional seminars, workshops, and as part of high school outreach programs. An emphasis on undergraduate and minority mentoring helps draw a broad and diverse participation over the course of this research project.