MemIntelli: A Generic End-to-End Simulation Framework for Memristive Intelligent Computing

TL;DR

MemIntelli is a comprehensive simulation framework that enables pre-verification of memristive in-memory computing systems across device, circuit, and application levels, supporting flexible precision and seamless integration with popular AI tools.

Contribution

It introduces the first end-to-end simulation framework for memristive IMC, supporting variable-precision computing and application-level validation.

Findings

Supports diverse intelligent algorithms including neural networks and data clustering

Enables co-design of memristive IMC systems from device to application

Compatible with NumPy and PyTorch for easy integration

Abstract

Memristive in-memory computing (IMC) has emerged as a promising solution for addressing the bottleneck in the Von Neumann architecture. However, the couplingbetweenthecircuitandalgorithm in IMC makes computing reliability susceptible to non-ideal effects in devices and peripheral circuits. In this respect, efficient softwarehardwareco-simulationtoolsarehighlydesiredtoembedthedevice and circuit models into the algorithms. In this paper, for the first time, we proposed an end-to-end simulation framework supporting flexible variable-precision computing, named MemIntelli, to realize the pre-verification of diverse intelligent applications on memristive devices. At the device and circuit level, mathematical functions are employed to abstract the devices and circuits through meticulous equivalent circuit modeling. On the architecture level, MemIntelli achieves flexible variable-precision IMC supporting integer and floating data representation with bit-slicing. Moreover, MemIntelli is compatible with NumPy and PyTorch for seamless integration with applications. To demonstrate its capabilities, diverse intelligent algorithms, such as equation solving, data clustering, wavelet transformation, and neural network training and inference, were employed to showcase the robust processing ability of MemIntelli. This research presents a comprehensive simulation tool that facilitates the co-design of the IMC system, spanning from device to application.