Analog Neuromorphics: Tools and Techniques

2022 Telluride Neuromorphic Engineering Workshop Track

Discussion Sessions: Several focused discussions sessions will be held to allow Q&A around particular topics during the workshop weeks. Most of this effort will focus around the first two workshop weeks, as most of the third week will focus on Q&A around particular projects.

This page focuses on the analog and tools aspects. The spinnaker tools and schedule are on another site.

Material links provides for resources to work through before the session time.

Topics can be modified based on group interest.

Week 0 Topics and Materials

Day 1 (Jun 20): General NTTH Introductions and Orientation . Initial introductions. What to read? What to watch? Where are the websites, etc?
During this session, the group will discuss potential times going forward.

Day 2 (Jun 21): Intro on Session for NTTH.
Spinnaker Overview?

Day 2 (Jun 22): 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:

Day 4 (Jun 23): Remote FPAAs, LPF Block, transistor circuits (Jennifer)

Videos to watch:

Papers to read:

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

Day 5 (June 24): Standard Cell Library and Resulting IC design(Jennifer):

Videos to watch:
  • FPAA design tool inspiration towards potential Analog Standard Cell development (video)
Reading:
  • FPAA design tool inspiration towards potential Analog Standard Cell development (pdf)

Week 1 Topics and Materials

Day 6 (June 27): Telluride Introduction Day: Introduction lecture (morning), and introduction session / project discussion (in-person & on-line)

Day 7 (Jun 28): Intro on Neuromorphic Analog and Tools. Discussion on Neuromorphic Analog computation.

Videos to watch:
  • FPAA & Tools Overview
  • FPAA: History, Development, Classification, and Directions: Video

Papers to read:

  • 1st SoC FPAA IC (TVLSI 2016).

Day 8 (June 29): MSOS block, C4 (Jennifer)

Videos to watch:

Papers to read:

Day 9 (June 30):

Day 10 (July 1):

Day 11 (July 2): All day workshop on the future of neuromorphic engineering.
Nothing further from this group



Week 2 Topics and Materials

Day 12 (Jul 5): How to put your hardware on-line(Jennifer, Terry)

(time TBD)

Remote FPAA System Demonstration and Discussion

Papers to read:

Day 13 (Jul 6): FPAA HH Neuron (Jennifer and Aishwarya)

Videos to watch:

Papers to read:

Day 14 (Jul 7): FPAA System Design I

Day 15 (Jul 8): FPAA Algorithm Exploration and Catch-up session

Week 3 Potential Topic List

Day 16 (Jul 11): FPAA System Design / IC Design II (Jennifer, 10am ATL time, 7am PHX time)

Day 17 (Jul 12):



Discussions, Videos, and Additional Resources for Nengo

We can have one or more discussion section(s) on Nengo during this workshop. We have included some initial materials and questions below to start these directions. These materials were primarily generated by Terry Stewart as part of the Virtual 2021 Telluride workshop.

Introduction to Nengo for Neuromorphic Engineering

  • 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 and non-Braindrop hardware

Discussion:
  • How well does the representations match with earlier discussions? What other options could have been tried?
  • Nengo opportunity 4: Action Selection
Videos to watch:
  • Nengo and the Neural Engineering Framework (NEF)(53 minutes)
  • Nengo and NEF and high-level cognition(59 minutes)
  • Nengo opportunity 3: Neural Symbol Systems

    Post workshop discussions