Computing In-Memory Technology: Mimicking the Brain to Boost AI Computing Efficiency 20 times.
Tags: computing, witmem, ai, wtm2101
Published: 2023-09-09 03:17:13

The human brain, a mysterious biological computer, has long been the subject of study and imitation by scientists. With its 20 billion neurons and 600 trillion synapses, the brain is a marvel of nature, known for its complexity and efficiency. Experts in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) are striving to learn from this biological computer, simplifying the brain's computation process into a series of multiplication and addition operations to achieve more efficient computing. In this process, a groundbreaking technology known as computing in-memory has emerged, increasing AI computing efficiency by a staggering 20 times.



The Brain's Computation Method

Our thoughts and cognitive processes can be viewed as the amplification and transmission of electrical signals through neural synapses, followed by accumulation within neurons. This computational process in the brain is highly parallelized, allowing us to process information at astonishing speeds. In this process, the amplification factor (multiplier) of neural synapses plays a critical role in influencing signal transmission and processing.



Limitations of Traditional Computing Architectures

However, traditional computing architectures, such as CPUs and GPUs, face a significant challenge. To perform multiplication operations, these computing units must retrieve multipliers from memory before computation can begin. This is akin to reconstructing a mini-brain within the computing unit, transferring multipliers to the computation unit, and only then commencing actual calculations. As AI model sizes grow, the time cost of reading multipliers increases substantially, resulting in a substantial waste of computational time.



The Emergence of computing in memory Technology

To address this issue, computing in-memory technology has come to the forefront. The core idea of this technology is to integrate computation and storage operations, emulating the brain's computation method. In in-memory computing, storage units not only store data but also possess computational capabilities, enabling them to directly process input data. This eliminates the need to transfer data to separate computation units, allowing computation to occur within storage units, akin to how computation takes place within neurons and synapses.

 

Returning to the Essence of the Brain

The primary advantage of in-memory computing technology is that it returns to the essence of brain computation. It bypasses the need for repetitive data movement and the reconstruction of a virtual brain, enabling direct computation within storage units. This innovative approach significantly enhances the efficiency of AI computing, reportedly up to 20 times more efficient than traditional architectures. This not only saves time but also conserves energy, enabling the rapid completion of large-scale AI tasks.



Future Prospects

In-memory computing technology represents a major breakthrough in the field of AI hardware. As technology continues to evolve, it is poised to excel in various domains, especially in tasks that involve processing large-scale data and complex models. The success of this technology will accelerate the development of AI, bringing us closer to realizing the dream of intelligent systems. In the future, in-memory computing technology is poised to become a hallmark breakthrough in the field of artificial intelligence, ushering in new possibilities for our technological world.



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