output voltage
Application of Machine Learning for Correcting Defect-induced Neuromorphic Circuit Inference Errors
This paper presents a machine learning-based approach to correct inference errors caused by stuck-at faults in fully analog ReRAM-based neuromorphic circuits. Using a Design-Technology Co-Optimization (DTCO) simulation framework, we model and analyze six spatial defect types-circular, circular-complement, ring, row, column, and checkerboard-across multiple layers of a multi-array neuromorphic architecture. We demonstrate that the proposed correction method, which employs a lightweight neural network trained on the circuit's output voltages, can recover up to 35% (from 55% to 90%) inference accuracy loss in defective scenarios. Our results, based on handwritten digit recognition tasks, show that even small corrective networks can significantly improve circuit robustness. This method offers a scalable and energy-efficient path toward enhanced yield and reliability for neuromorphic systems in edge and internet-of-things (IoTs) applications. In addition to correcting the specific defect types used during training, our method also demonstrates the ability to generalize-achieving reasonable accuracy when tested on different types of defects not seen during training. The framework can be readily extended to support real-time adaptive learning, enabling on-chip correction for dynamic or aging-induced fault profiles.
AUTOCIRCUIT-RL: Reinforcement Learning-Driven LLM for Automated Circuit Topology Generation
Vijayaraghavan, Prashanth, Shi, Luyao, Degan, Ehsan, Mukherjee, Vandana, Zhang, Xin
Analog circuit topology synthesis is integral to Electronic Design Automation (EDA), enabling the automated creation of circuit structures tailored to specific design requirements. However, the vast design search space and strict constraint adherence make efficient synthesis challenging. Leveraging the versatility of Large Language Models (LLMs), we propose AUTOCIRCUIT-RL,a novel reinforcement learning (RL)-based framework for automated analog circuit synthesis. The framework operates in two phases: instruction tuning, where an LLM learns to generate circuit topologies from structured prompts encoding design constraints, and RL refinement, which further improves the instruction-tuned model using reward models that evaluate validity, efficiency, and output voltage. The refined model is then used directly to generate topologies that satisfy the design constraints. Empirical results show that AUTOCIRCUIT-RL generates ~12% more valid circuits and improves efficiency by ~14% compared to the best baselines, while reducing duplicate generation rates by ~38%. It achieves over 60% success in synthesizing valid circuits with limited training data, demonstrating strong generalization. These findings highlight the framework's effectiveness in scaling to complex circuits while maintaining efficiency and constraint adherence, marking a significant advancement in AI-driven circuit design.
Self-Reasoning Assistant Learning for non-Abelian Gauge Fields Design
Sun, Jinyang, Chen, Xi, Wang, Xiumei, Zhu, Dandan, Zhou, Xingping
Non-Abelian braiding has attracted substantial attention because of its pivotal role in describing the exchange behaviour of anyons, in which the input and outcome of non-Abelian braiding are connected by a unitary matrix. Implementing braiding in a classical system can assist the experimental investigation of non-Abelian physics. However, the design of non-Abelian gauge fields faces numerous challenges stemmed from the intricate interplay of group structures, Lie algebra properties, representation theory, topology, and symmetry breaking. The extreme diversity makes it a powerful tool for the study of condensed matter physics. Whereas the widely used artificial intelligence with data-driven approaches has greatly promoted the development of physics, most works are limited on the data-to-data design. Here we propose a self-reasoning assistant learning framework capable of directly generating non-Abelian gauge fields. This framework utilizes the forward diffusion process to capture and reproduce the complex patterns and details inherent in the target distribution through continuous transformation. Then the reverse diffusion process is used to make the generated data closer to the distribution of the original situation. Thus, it owns strong self-reasoning capabilities, allowing to automatically discover the feature representation and capture more subtle relationships from the dataset. Moreover, the self-reasoning eliminates the need for manual feature engineering and simplifies the process of model building. Our framework offers a disruptive paradigm shift to parse complex physical processes, automatically uncovering patterns from massive datasets.
A versatile circuit for emulating active biological dendrites applied to sound localisation and neuron imitation
Sophisticated machine learning struggles to transition onto battery-operated devices due to the high-power consumption of neural networks. Researchers have turned to neuromorphic engineering, inspired by biological neural networks, for more efficient solutions. While previous research focused on artificial neurons and synapses, an essential component has been overlooked: dendrites. Dendrites transmit inputs from synapses to the neuron's soma, applying both passive and active transformations. However, neuromorphic circuits replace these sophisticated computational channels with metallic interconnects. In this study, we introduce a versatile circuit that emulates a segment of a dendrite which exhibits gain, introduces delays, and performs integration. We show how sound localisation - a biological example of dendritic computation - is not possible with the existing passive dendrite circuits but can be achieved using this proposed circuit. We also find that dendrites can form bursting neurons. This significant discovery suggests the potential to fabricate neural networks solely comprised of dendrite circuits.
Analog Feedback-Controlled Memristor programming Circuit for analog Content Addressable Memory
Yu, Jiaao, Manea, Paul-Philipp, Ameli, Sara, Hizzani, Mohammad, Eldebiky, Amro, Strachan, John Paul
Recent breakthroughs in associative memories suggest that silicon memories are coming closer to human memories, especially for memristive Content Addressable Memories (CAMs) which are capable to read and write in analog values. However, the Program-Verify algorithm, the state-of-the-art memristor programming algorithm, requires frequent switching between verifying and programming memristor conductance, which brings many defects such as high dynamic power and long programming time. Here, we propose an analog feedback-controlled memristor programming circuit that makes use of a novel look-up table-based (LUT-based) programming algorithm. With the proposed algorithm, the programming and the verification of a memristor can be performed in a single-direction sequential process. Besides, we also integrated a single proposed programming circuit with eight analog CAM (aCAM) cells to build an aCAM array. We present SPICE simulations on TSMC 28nm process. The theoretical analysis shows that 1. A memristor conductance within an aCAM cell can be converted to an output boundary voltage in aCAM searching operations and 2. An output boundary voltage in aCAM searching operations can be converted to a programming data line voltage in aCAM programming operations. The simulation results of the proposed programming circuit prove the theoretical analysis and thus verify the feasibility to program memristors without frequently switching between verifying and programming the conductance. Besides, the simulation results of the proposed aCAM array show that the proposed programming circuit can be integrated into a large array architecture.
How a High school sophomore built an autonomous nerf turret
Back when I still used to play with the popular Hasbro Nerf blaster as a kid, I always wondered if it would be possible to somehow increase the range just slightly because the darts would often not quite be able to reach the targets that I wanted to hit. It was entirely irrelevant whether I was aiming at a chair or at my friends, if the dart would not be able to reach what I was aiming at in the first place. I remedied this in my early teen-years by completely taking apart the toy and soldering the wires connecting the battery pack and motors such that they would either increase the output voltage or use one or ideally two 9v batteries instead. When increasing the output voltage of the original battery pack of the Nerf gun, all that needed to be done was to have the batteries running in parallel instead of in series. The problem with this however was that most Nerf guns where already wired this way from the factory.
One-step regression and classification with crosspoint resistive memory arrays
Sun, Zhong, Pedretti, Giacomo, Bricalli, Alessandro, Ielmini, Daniele
Machine learning has been getting a large attention in the recent years, as a tool to process big data generated by ubiquitous sensors in our daily life. High speed, low energy computing machines are in demand to enable real-time artificial intelligence at the edge, i.e., without the support of a remote frame server in the cloud. Such requirements challenge the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, which is limited by the Moore's law approaching its end and the communication bottleneck in conventional computing architecture. Novel computing concepts, architectures and devices are thus strongly needed to accelerate data-intensive applications. Here we show a crosspoint resistive memory circuit with feedback configuration can execute linear regression and logistic regression in just one step by computing the pseudoinverse matrix of the data within the memory. The most elementary learning operation, that is the regression of a sequence of data and the classification of a set of data, can thus be executed in one single computational step by the novel technology. One-step learning is further supported by simulations of the prediction of the cost of a house in Boston and the training of a 2-layer neural network for MNIST digit recognition. The results are all obtained in one computational step, thanks to the physical, parallel, and analog computing within the crosspoint array.
Neural Network Design for Energy-Autonomous AI Applications using Temporal Encoding
Mileiko, Sergey, Bunnam, Thanasin, Xia, Fei, Shafik, Rishad, Yakovlev, Alex, Das, Shidhartha
Neural Networks (NNs) are steering a new generation of artificial intelligence (AI) applications at the micro-edge. Examples include wireless sensors, wearables and cybernetic systems that collect data and process them to support real-world decisions and controls. For energy autonomy, these applications are typically powered by energy harvesters. As harvesters and other power sources which provide energy autonomy inevitably have power variations, the circuits need to robustly operate over a dynamic power envelope. In other words, the NN hardware needs to be able to function correctly under unpredictable and variable supply voltages. In this paper, we propose a novel NN design approach using the principle of pulse width modulation (PWM). PWM signals represent information with their duty cycle values which may be made independent of the voltages and frequencies of the carrier signals. We design a PWM-based perceptron which can serve as the fundamental building block for NNs, by using an entirely new method of realising arithmetic in the PWM domain. We analyse the proposed approach building from a 3x3 perceptron circuit to a complex multi-layer NN. Using handwritten character recognition as an exemplar of AI applications, we demonstrate the power elasticity, resilience and efficiency of the proposed NN design in the presence of functional and parametric variations including large voltage variations in the power supply.
A Neural-Network-Based Model Predictive Control of Three-Phase Inverter With an Output LC Filter
Mohamed, Ihab S., Rovetta, Stefano, Diab, Ahmed A. Zaki, Do, Ton Duc
Model predictive control (MPC) has become one of the well-established modern control methods for three-phase inverters with an output LC filter, where a high-quality voltage with low total harmonic distortion (THD) is needed. Though it is an intuitive controller easy to understand and implement, it has the significant disadvantage of requiring a large number of online calculations for solving the optimization problem. On the other hand, the application of model-free approaches such as artificial neural network-based (ANN-based) approaches is currently growing rapidly in the area of power electronics and drives. This paper presents a new control scheme for a two-level converter based on combining MPC with feed-forward ANN, with the aim of getting lower THD and improving the steady and dynamic performance of the system for different types of loads. First, MPC is used, as an expert, in the training phase to generate data required for training the proposed neural network. Then, once the neural network is fine-tuned, it can be successfully used online for voltage tracking purpose, without the need of using MPC. The proposed ANN-based control strategy is validated through simulation, using MATLAB/Simulink tools, taking into account different loads conditions. Moreover, the performance of the ANN-based controller is evaluated, on several samples of linear and non-linear loads under various operating conditions, and compared to that of MPC, demonstrating the excellent steady-state and dynamic performance of the proposed ANN-based control strategy.
Using memristor crossbar structure to implement a novel adaptive real time fuzzy modeling algorithm
Afrakoti, Iman Esmaili Paeen, Shouraki, Saeed Bagheri, Merrikhbayat, Farnood
Although fuzzy techniques promise fast meanwhile accurate modeling and control abilities for complicated systems, different difficulties have been re-vealed in real situation implementations. Usually there is no escape of it-erative optimization based on crisp domain algorithms. Recently memristor structures appeared promising to implement neural network structures and fuzzy algorithms. In this paper a novel adaptive real-time fuzzy modeling algorithm is proposed which uses active learning method concept to mimic recent understandings of right brain processing techniques. The developed method is based on processing fuzzy numbers to provide the ability of being sensitive to each training data point to expand the knowledge tree leading to plasticity while used defuzzification technique guaranties enough stability. An outstanding characteristic of the proposed algorithm is its consistency to memristor crossbar hardware processing concepts. An analog implemen-tation of the proposed algorithm on memristor crossbars structure is also introduced in this paper. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in modeling and pattern recognition tasks is verified by means of computer simulations