Energy-efficient STDP-based learning circuits with memristor synapses

Xinyu Wu, Vishal Saxena, Kristy A. Campbell

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

It is now accepted that the traditional von Neumann architecture, with processor and memory separation, is ill suited to process parallel data streams which a mammalian brain can efficiently handle. Moreover, researchers now envision computing architectures which enable cognitive processing of massive amounts of data by identifying spatio-temporal relationships in real-time and solving complex pattern recognition problems. Memristor cross-point arrays, integrated with standard CMOS technology, are expected to result in massively parallel and low-power Neuromorphic computing architectures. Recently, significant progress has been made in spiking neural networks (SNN) which emulate data processing in the cortical brain. These architectures comprise of a dense network of neurons and the synapses formed between the axons and dendrites. Further, unsupervised or supervised competitive learning schemes are being investigated for global training of the network. In contrast to a software implementation, hardware realization of these networks requires massive circuit overhead for addressing and individually updating network weights. Instead, we employ bio-inspired learning rules such as the spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) to efficiently update the network weights locally. To realize SNNs on a chip, we propose to use densely integrating mixed-signal integrate-andfire neurons (IFNs) and cross-point arrays of memristors in back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) of CMOS chips. Novel IFN circuits have been designed to drive memristive synapses in parallel while maintaining overall power efficiency (<1 pJ/spike/synapse), even at spike rate greater than 10 MHz. We present circuit design details and simulation results of the IFN with memristor synapses, its response to incoming spike trains and STDP learning characterization.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMachine Intelligence and Bio-inspired Computation
Subtitle of host publicationTheory and Applications VIII
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014
EventMachine Intelligence and Bio-inspired Computation: Theory and Applications VIII - Baltimore, MD, United States
Duration: 8 May 20149 May 2014

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume9119
ISSN (Print)0277-786X
ISSN (Electronic)1996-756X

Conference

ConferenceMachine Intelligence and Bio-inspired Computation: Theory and Applications VIII
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityBaltimore, MD
Period8/05/149/05/14

Keywords

  • Machine Learning
  • Memristors
  • Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP)
  • Spiking Neural Networks

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