Patent classifications
G11C27/04
MULTI-BIT ANALOG MULTIPLY-ACCUMULATE OPERATIONS WITH MEMORY CROSSBAR ARRAYS
The invention is notably directed to a method of processing data. The method relies on a memory device having a crossbar array structure. The latter includes KL cells, which interconnect K rows and Z columns. The cells include respective memory systems, which store respective A-bit weights. The memory systems are connected to respective compute units, which are configured as interleaved switched-capacitor analogue multipliers and adders. According to the proposed method, input signals encoding respective M-bit input words are synchronously applied to respective ones of the K rows. The compute units are operated according to a 3-phase clocking scheme, with a view to obtaining MAC results for each of the L columns, where K2, L>2, N2, and M2. Remarkably, the 3-phase clocking scheme is here set to perform nm partial multiplications, in the analogue domain, according to a specific bit partition, so as to obtain nm partial output signals in output of each of the compute units. This partition decomposes each of the N-bit weights into n groups of bits and each of the M-bit input words into m groups of bits. Each of the n groups and the m groups includes at least one bit. However, at least one of the n groups and/or the m groups includes at least two bits, whereby N+M>n+m3. Moreover, the MAC results are obtained by summing the partial output signals obtained by the compute units for each of the Z columns. The summed output signals are converted into digital signals encoding partial values. The partial values are shifted according to corresponding bit positions, which are set in accordance with the bit partition, and the shifted values are finally added, so as to recompose the desired output vector components. The invention is further directed to related apparatuses and systems.