Architectural design exploration for neuromorphic processors with memristive synapses

Abstract

Due to their nonvolatile nature, excellent scalability and high density, memristive nanodevices provide a promising solution for low-cost on-chip storage. Integrating memristor-based synaptic crossbars into digital neuromorphic processors (DNPs) may facilitate efficient realization of brain inspired computing. This paper investigates architectural design exploration of DNPs with memristive synapses by proposing two synapse readout schemes. The key design tradeoffs involving different analog-to-digital conversions and memory accessing styles are thoroughly investigated.