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At least 361 records · Page 20

Notes on implementation of sparsely distributed memory

The Sparsely Distributed Memory (SDM) developed by Kanerva is an unconventional memory design with very interesting and desirable properties. The memory works in a manner that is closely related to modern theories of human memory. The SDM model is discussed in terms of its implementation in hardware. Two appendices discuss the unconventional approaches of the SDM: Appendix A treats a resistive circuit for fast, parallel address decoding; and Appendix B treats a systolic array for high throughput read and write operations.

Keeler, J. D.↗

CCD Memory

CCD memory device yields over 6.4 x 10 to the eighth power levels of information on single chip. Charge-coupled device (CCD) demonstrated to operate as either read-only-memory (ROM) or photon-programmable memory with capacity of 640,000 bits, with each bit capable of being weighted to more than 1,000 discrete analog levels. Larger memory capacities now possible using proposed approach in conjunction with CCD's now being fabricated, which yield over 4 x 10 to the ninth power discrete levels of information on single chip.

Janesick, James R.↗

A recursive solution for a fading memory filter derived from Kalman filter theory

A simple recursive solution for a class of fading memory tracking filters is presented. A fading memory filter provides estimates of filter states based on past measurements, similar to a traditional Kalman filter. Unlike a Kalman filter, an exponentially decaying weight is applied to older measurements, discounting their effect on present state estimates. It is shown that Kalman filters and fading memory filters are closely related solutions to a general least squares estimator problem. Closed form filter transfer functions are derived for a time invariant, steady state, fading memory filter. These can be applied in loop filter implementation of the Deep Space Network (DSN) Advanced Receiver carrier phase locked loop (PLL).

Statman, J. I.↗

Blanket Gate Would Address Blocks Of Memory

Circuit-chip area used more efficiently. Proposed gate structure selectively allows and restricts access to blocks of memory in electronic neural-type network. By breaking memory into independent blocks, gate greatly simplifies problem of reading from and writing to memory. Since blocks not used simultaneously, share operational amplifiers that prompt and read information stored in memory cells. Fewer operational amplifiers needed, and chip area occupied reduced correspondingly. Cost per bit drops as result.

Lambe, John↗

Variable-Resistivity Material For Memory Circuits

Nonvolatile memory elements packed densely. Electrically-erasable, programmable, read-only memory matrices made with newly-synthesized organic material of variable electrical resistivity. Material, polypyrrole doped with tetracyanoquinhydrone (TCNQ), changes reversibly between insulating or higher-resistivity state and conducting or low-resistivity state. Thin film of conductive polymer separates layer of row conductors from layer of column conductors. Resistivity of film at each intersection and, therefore, resistance of memory element defined by row and column, increased or decreased by application of suitable switching voltage. Matrix circuits made with this material useful for experiments in associative electronic memories based on models of neural networks.

Nagasubramanian, Ganesan↗

Supporting shared data structures on distributed memory architectures

Programming nonshared memory systems is more difficult than programming shared memory systems, since there is no support for shared data structures. Current programming languages for distributed memory architectures force the user to decompose all data structures into separate pieces, with each piece owned by one of the processors in the machine, and with all communication explicitly specified by low-level message-passing primitives. A new programming environment is presented for distributed memory architectures, providing a global name space and allowing direct access to remote parts of data values. The analysis and program transformations required to implement this environment are described, and the efficiency of the resulting code on the NCUBE/7 and IPSC/2 hypercubes are described.

Koelbel, Charles↗

Two-dimensional shape recognition using sparse distributed memory

Researchers propose a method for recognizing two-dimensional shapes (hand-drawn characters, for example) with an associative memory. The method consists of two stages: first, the image is preprocessed to extract tangents to the contour of the shape; second, the set of tangents is converted to a long bit string for recognition with sparse distributed memory (SDM). SDM provides a simple, massively parallel architecture for an associative memory. Long bit vectors (256 to 1000 bits, for example) serve as both data and addresses to the memory, and patterns are grouped or classified according to similarity in Hamming distance. At the moment, tangents are extracted in a simple manner by progressively blurring the image and then using a Canny-type edge detector (Canny, 1986) to find edges at each stage of blurring. This results in a grid of tangents. While the technique used for obtaining the tangents is at present rather ad hoc, researchers plan to adopt an existing framework for extracting edge orientation information over a variety of resolutions, such as suggested by Watson (1987, 1983), Marr and Hildreth (1980), or Canny (1986).

Kanerva, Pentti↗

Auto- and hetero-associative memory using a 2-D optical logic gate

An optical associative memory system suitable for both auto- and hetero-associative recall is demonstrated. This system utilizes Hamming distance as the similarity measure between a binary input and a memory image with the aid of a two-dimensional optical EXCLUSIVE OR (XOR) gate and a parallel electronics comparator module. Based on the Hamming distance measurement, this optical associative memory performs a nearest neighbor search and the result is displayed in the output plane in real-time. This optical associative memory is fast and noniterative and produces no output spurious states as compared with that of the Hopfield neural network model.

Chao, Tien-Hsin↗

Self-Testing Static Random-Access Memory

Proposed static random-access memory for computer features improved error-detecting and -correcting capabilities. New self-testing scheme provides for detection and correction of errors at any time during normal operation - even while data being written into memory. Faults in equipment causing errors in output data detected by repeatedly testing every memory cell to determine whether it can still store both "one" and "zero", without destroying data stored in memory.

Chau, Savio↗

Ferroelectric Memory Capacitors For Neural Networks

Thin-film ferroelectric capacitors proposed as nonvolatile analog memory devices. Intended primarily for use as synaptic connections in electronic neural networks. Connection strengths (synaptic weights) stored as nonlinear remanent polarizations of ferroelectric films. Ferroelectric memory and interrogation capacitors combined into memory devices in vertical or lateral configurations. Photoconductive layer modulated by light provides variable resistance to alter bias signal applied to memory capacitor. Features include nondestructive readout, simplicity, and resistance to ionizing radiation. Interrogated without destroying stored analog data. Also amenable to very-large-scale integration. Allows use of ac coupling, eliminating errors caused by dc offsets in amplifier circuits of neural networks.

Thakoor, Sarita↗

Integrated Vertical Bloch Line (VBL) memory

Vertical Bloch Line (VBL) Memory is a recently conceived, integrated, solid state, block access, VLSI memory which offers the potential of 1 Gbit/sq cm areal storage density, data rates of hundreds of megabits/sec, and submillisecond average access time simultaneously at relatively low mass, volume, and power values when compared to alternative technologies. VBLs are micromagnetic structures within magnetic domain walls which can be manipulated using magnetic fields from integrated conductors. The presence or absence of BVL pairs are used to store binary information. At present, efforts are being directed at developing a single chip memory using 25 Mbit/sq cm technology in magnetic garnet material which integrates, at a single operating point, the writing, storage, reading, and amplification functions needed in a memory. The current design architecture, functional elements, and supercomputer simulation results are described which are used to assist the design process.

Katti, R. R.↗

Asymmetric soft-error resistant memory

A memory system is provided, of the type that includes an error-correcting circuit that detects and corrects, that more efficiently utilizes the capacity of a memory formed of groups of binary cells whose states can be inadvertently switched by ionizing radiation. Each memory cell has an asymmetric geometry, so that ionizing radiation causes a significantly greater probability of errors in one state than in the opposite state (e.g., an erroneous switch from '1' to '0' is far more likely than a switch from '0' to'1'. An asymmetric error correcting coding circuit can be used with the asymmetric memory cells, which requires fewer bits than an efficient symmetric error correcting code.

Buehler, Martin G.↗

Weather prediction using a genetic memory

Kanaerva's sparse distributed memory (SDM) is an associative memory model based on the mathematical properties of high dimensional binary address spaces. Holland's genetic algorithms are a search technique for high dimensional spaces inspired by evolutional processes of DNA. Genetic Memory is a hybrid of the above two systems, in which the memory uses a genetic algorithm to dynamically reconfigure its physical storage locations to reflect correlations between the stored addresses and data. This architecture is designed to maximize the ability of the system to scale-up to handle real world problems.

Rogers, David↗

A class of designs for a sparse distributed memory

A general class of designs for a space distributed memory (SDM) is described. The author shows that Kanerva's original design and the selected-coordinate design are related, and that there is a series of possible intermediate designs between those two designs. In each such design, the set of addresses that activate a memory location is a sphere in the address space. We can also have hybrid designs, in which the memory locations may be a mixture of those found in the other designs. In some applications, the bits of the read and write addresses that will actually be used might be mostly zeros; that is, the addresses might lie on or near z hyperplane in the address space. The author describes a hyperplane design which is adapted to this situation and compares it to an adaptation of Kanerva's design. To study the performance of these designs, he computes the expected number of memory locations activated by both of two addresses.

Jaeckel, Louis A.↗

Distributed memory compiler methods for irregular problems: Data copy reuse and runtime partitioning

Outlined here are two methods which we believe will play an important role in any distributed memory compiler able to handle sparse and unstructured problems. We describe how to link runtime partitioners to distributed memory compilers. In our scheme, programmers can implicitly specify how data and loop iterations are to be distributed between processors. This insulates users from having to deal explicitly with potentially complex algorithms that carry out work and data partitioning. We also describe a viable mechanism for tracking and reusing copies of off-processor data. In many programs, several loops access the same off-processor memory locations. As long as it can be verified that the values assigned to off-processor memory locations remain unmodified, we show that we can effectively reuse stored off-processor data. We present experimental data from a 3-D unstructured Euler solver run on iPSC/860 to demonstrate the usefulness of our methods.

Das, Raja↗

Statistical prediction with Kanerva's sparse distributed memory

A new viewpoint of the processing performed by Kanerva's sparse distributed memory (SDM) is presented. In conditions of near- or over-capacity, where the associative-memory behavior of the model breaks down, the processing performed by the model can be interpreted as that of a statistical predictor. Mathematical results are presented which serve as the framework for a new statistical viewpoint of sparse distributed memory and for which the standard formulation of SDM is a special case. This viewpoint suggests possible enhancements to the SDM model, including a procedure for improving the predictiveness of the system based on Holland's work with genetic algorithms, and a method for improving the capacity of SDM even when used as an associative memory.

Rogers, David↗

A general purpose subroutine for fast fourier transform on a distributed memory parallel machine

One issue which is central in developing a general purpose Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) subroutine on a distributed memory parallel machine is the data distribution. It is possible that different users would like to use the FFT routine with different data distributions. Thus, there is a need to design FFT schemes on distributed memory parallel machines which can support a variety of data distributions. An FFT implementation on a distributed memory parallel machine which works for a number of data distributions commonly encountered in scientific applications is presented. The problem of rearranging the data after computing the FFT is also addressed. The performance of the implementation on a distributed memory parallel machine Intel iPSC/860 is evaluated.

Dubey, A.↗

Improved Writing-Conductor Designs For Magnetic Memory

Writing currents reduced to practical levels. Improved conceptual designs for writing conductors in micromagnet/Hall-effect random-access integrated-circuit memory reduces electrical current needed to magnetize micromagnet in each memory cell. Basic concept of micromagnet/Hall-effect random-access memory presented in "Magnetic Analog Random-Access Memory" (NPO-17999).

Wu, Jiin-Chuan↗