Analog Neuromorphics: Tools and Techniques

Week 1 Topics and Materials

Day 1 (Jun 28: Intro on Session on ANT, Intro on Neuromorphic Hardware, Intro on FPAA Devices (Jennifer) 1:30pm EDT (1:30pm in Atlanta, GA). During this session, the group will discuss potential times going forward.

Day 2 (Jun 29): Discussion on Neuromorphic hardware and FPAA Devices. (Jennifer)

Videos to watch:

• Perceptions on Analog and Digital Computing and FPAA opportunities
• Why Analog / Physical Computing?
• FPAA Introduction
• Historical Introduction to Floating-Gate (FG) Circuits: Video

Paper to read:

• Neuromorphic Roadmap (Frontiers, 2013). Short version (IEEE Spectrum, 2017).
• FPAA Overview (IEEE Proceedings 2020).

Day 3 (Jun 30): Remote FPAAs, LPF Block, transistor circuits (Jennifer)

Videos to watch:

• Intro Open-Source FPAA Toolset
• Overview Demo Open-Source Tools
• Experimental Demo LPF block.
• Floating-Gate Circuit Intro
• Basic Physical FG devices

Papers to read:

• FPAA tool overview (WOSET 2020).
• Early FPAA tool paper
• Remote FPAA System (JPLEA 2016)

Day 4 (July 1): Starting Nengo (Terry)

Discussion:

• What sort of thing does the Nengo approach to high-level design handle well, and what does it not do well?
• What features would be good to add?
• Or are whole other design tools needed?

Videos to watch:

• Nengo for Neuromorphs: Introducing Nengo: A high-level design tool for neuromorphics (2hours, 21minutes)

Reading:

• Nengo Hands-on Opportunities
• First Nengo Opportunities: Computing with Neurons

Day 5 (July 2): Remote FPAA System Demonstration and Discussion (Jennifer)

Videos to watch:

• FPAA: History, Development, Classification, and Directions: Video

Papers to read:

• 1^st SoC FPAA IC (TVLSI 2016).

Day 6 (Jul 3):More Nengo (Terry)

Continue Discussion:

• What sort of thing does the Nengo approach to high-level design handle well, and what does it not do well?
• What features would be good to add?
• Or are whole other design tools needed?

• Second Nengo Opportunity: Recurrence and dynamics

Day 6 (Jul 3): FPAA Algorithm Exploration and Catch-up session (Jennifer)

Week 2 Potential Topic List

Day 7 (Jul 5): Standard Cell Library and Resulting IC design(Jennifer):

• FPAA design tool inspiration towards potential Analog Standard Cell development (video)

• FPAA design tool inspiration towards potential Analog Standard Cell development (pdf)

Day 8(Jul 6): How to put your hardware on-line(Jennifer, Terry)

(11am-11:50am session)

Papers to read:

Day 9 (Jul 7): Braindrop and Analog Function Representation(Terry):

• Braindrop and Analog Function Representation. The basic background of the design ideas behind Braindrop, without going into Braindrop-specific details.

Day 10 (July 8): MSOS block, C⁴ (Jennifer)

Videos to watch:

• C⁴ BPF computation and macromodeling
• Introduction on SOS Concepts
• Diff2 SoS Introduction
• C4 SOS Introduction

Papers to read:

Day 11 (Jul 9): FPAA HH Neuron (Jennifer and Aishwarya)

Videos to watch:

• HH Transistor channel model
• Biological Transistor Model
• Converting Classical Channel Model to FPAA Implementation
• HH Tool example for SoC FPAA
• HH Experimental Session: Measurement of HH Channel Transistor Model

Papers to read:

• SoC FPAA Synapses + Channel Neuron

Day 12 (Jul 10): FPAA System Design I (Jennifer, 10am ATL time, 7am PHX time)

Day 12 (Jul 10): Nengo and non-Braindrop hardware (Terry):

• How well does the representations match with discussions in Day 9? What other options could have been tried?

• Nengo opportunity 4: Action Selection

Week 3 Potential Topic List

Day 14 (Jul 13): FPAA System Design / IC Design II (Jennifer, 10am ATL time, 7am PHX time)

Post workshop discussions