Hardware–Software Co-Optimization of Long-Latency Stochastic Computing

Abstract

Stochastic computing (SC) is an emerging paradigm that offers hardware-efficient solutions for developing low-cost and noise-robust architectures. In SC, deterministic logic systems are employed along with bit-stream sources to process scalar values. However, using long bit-streams introduces challenges, such as increased latency and significant energy consumption. To address these issues, we present an optimization-oriented approach for modeling and sizing new logic gates, which results in optimal latency. The optimization process is automated using hardware–software cooperation by integrating Cadence and MATLAB environments. Initially, we optimize the circuit topology by leveraging the design parameters of two-input basic logic gates. This optimization is performed using a multiobjective approach based on a deep neural network. Subsequently, we employ the proposed gates to demonstrate favorable solutions targeting SC-based operations.