Finite State Automata Design using 1T1R ReRAM Crossbar

Abstract: Data movement costs constitute a significant bottleneck in modern ML systems. When combined with the computational complexity of algorithms, such as neural networks, designing hardware accelerators with low energy footprint remains challenging. Finite state automata (FSA) constitute a type of computation model used as a low-complexity learning unit in ML systems. The implementation of FSA consists of a number of memory states. However, FSA can be in one of the states at a given time. It switches to another state based on the present state and input to the FSA. Due to its natural synergy with memory, it is a promising candidate for in-memory computing for reduced data movement costs. This work focuses on a novel FSA implementation using resistive RAM (ReRAM) for state storage in series with a CMOS transistor for biasing controls. We propose using multi-level ReRAM technology capable of transitioning between states depending on bias pulse amplitude and duration. We use an asynchronous control circuit for writing each ReRAM-transistor cell for the on-demand switching of the FSA. We investigate the impact of the device-to-device and cycle-to-cycle variations on the cell and show that FSA transitions can be seamlessly achieved without degradation of performance. Through extensive experimental evaluation, we demonstrate the implementation of FSA on 1T1R ReRAM crossbar.