Ground-State Probabilistic Logic with the Simplest Binary Energy Landscape for Probabilistic Computing

Abstract: We investigate the ground-state probabilistic logic based on a binary energy landscape (GSPL-BEL) model, implementing the many-body interactions within Ising model cells. The GSPL-BEL model offers a simplified binary energy landscape, enabling the conversion of traditional CMOS-based logic into a probabilistic graphical representation based on desired truth tables. Stochastic Ising cells, coupled with generic probabilistic devices exhibiting sigmoidal electrical responses, serve as the building blocks of the GSPL-BEL. Multi-body interactions are realized through cascaded CMOS-based XNOR gates and a passive resistor network. Through circuit simulations of three-node, four-node, and five-node systems, the functionality of the GSPL-BEL model is verified in forward, reverse, and partial-reverse operating modes, and applied to various arithmetic tasks. The many-body effect provides additional degrees of freedom in describing the system's energy function, resulting in distinct energy levels for valid and invalid states. This observation is supported by the binarized probability distribution observed in the steady state of the probabilistic circuits. Furthermore, compared to conventional combinatorial logic circuits, the GSPL-BEL-based circuit design requires a minimal number of probabilistic devices, as demonstrated in the invertible multiplier/integer factorizer circuit. These findings highlight the potential of the GSPL-BEL model for future high-performance logic circuit designs leveraging probabilistic devices.