Intermittent-Aware Design Exploration of Systolic Array Using Various Non-Volatile Memory: A Comparative Study

Micromachines (Basel). 2024 Feb 29;15(3):343. doi: 10.3390/mi15030343.

Abstract

This paper conducts a comprehensive study on intermittent computing within IoT environments, emphasizing the interplay between different dataflows-row, weight, and output-and a variety of non-volatile memory technologies. We then delve into the architectural optimization of these systems using a spatial architecture, namely IDEA, with their processing elements efficiently arranged in a rhythmic pattern, providing enhanced performance in the presence of power failures. This exploration aims to highlight the diverse advantages and potential applications of each combination, offering a comparative perspective. In our findings, using IDEA for the row stationary dataflow with AlexNet on the CIFAR10 dataset, we observe a power efficiency gain of 2.7% and an average reduction of 21% in the required cycles. This study elucidates the potential of different architectural choices in enhancing energy efficiency and performance in IoT systems.

Keywords: accelerator; intermittent computing; non-volatile memory; systolic array.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by [National Science Foundation] grant number [2303114].