Invention Grant
- Patent Title: System, method and article of manufacture for synchronization-free transmittal of neuron values in a hardware artificial neural networks
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Application No.: US15410769Application Date: 2017-01-20
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Publication No.: US11580373B2Publication Date: 2023-02-14
- Inventor: Geoffrey W Burr , Pritish Narayanan
- Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
- Applicant Address: US NY Armonk
- Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
- Current Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
- Current Assignee Address: US NY Armonk
- Agency: Foley Hoag, LLP
- Agent Erik A. Huestis; Stephen J. Kenny
- Main IPC: G06N3/063
- IPC: G06N3/063 ; G06N3/04 ; G06N3/049

Abstract:
Computations in Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are accomplished using simple processing units, called neurons, with data embodied by the connections between neurons, called synapses, and by the strength of these connections, the synaptic weights. Crossbar arrays may be used to represent one layer of the ANN with Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) elements at each crosspoint, where the conductance of the NVM elements may be used to encode the synaptic weights, and a highly parallel current summation on the array achieves a weighted sum operation that is representative of the values of the output neurons. A method is outlined to transfer such neuron values from the outputs of one array to the inputs of a second array with no need for global clock synchronization, irrespective of the distances between the arrays, and to use such values at the next array, and/or to convert such values into digital bits at the next array.
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