Abstract
In this lecture, the variability impact, compensation techniques, and variability-aware neural architectures are discussed. Variability and paracitics pose significant challenges in ensuring accurate multiply and accumulate (MAC) computations emulated with a crossbar. In most neural networks, the MAC forms the core computing module to implement a neuron and, consequently, neural networks. The analog MAC blocks are particularly susceptible to variability and parasitics, which can result in inaccuracies in the computation process. Therefore, developing techniques to mitigate these challenges is crucial for the successful implementation of variability averse mixed-signal neural architectures.
Bio
Alex James is the dean of academics and full-professor of AI hardware at Digital University Kerala; and CTO of India Graphene and Engineering Innovation Centre (a section 8 company). James received his PhD from Queensland Micro and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Australia. He heads the Maker Village, one of the largest electronic hardware incubators in India with over 80 electronics startups. He heads the Centre for excellence in Intelligent IoT Sensors, and India Innovation Centre for Graphene. He is the founding director board member of India’s first Digital Science Park. He has spun out multiple startup companies from his research group; published more than 200 papers. For the last two decades, he worked in the areas of board design, signal integrity and mixed signal design in Industry and in the area of AI hardware and systems in academia. He has taught more than 60 courses, in the areas of chip design and AI. He was an associate editor for IEEE TCAS1 (2018-2023), and IEEE OJCAS (2023). He got the IEEE Kerala Section Best Researcher Award (2022), IEEE CASS Best Associate Editor for IEEE TCAS1 (2020-2021), Kerala State Higher Education Council Award 2022 – Kairali Gaveshana Puraskaram from the Kerala government, and 2024 IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems Guillemin-Cauer Best Paper Award. First chair of IEEE CASS Kerala, which won the 2023 IEEE Circuits and Systems Regional Chapter-of-the-Year Award: Region 10 and 2024 IEEE Circuits and Systems Global Chapter-of-the-Year Award. He is a member of SIG AgriFood and IEEE CASS Technical Committees on Nonlinear Circuits and Systems, Nonlinear Circuits and Systems Technical Committee (NCAS TC), Cellular Nanoscale Networks, and Memristor Array Computing. He is Associate Editor in Chief of IEEE Open Journal of Circuits and Systems (2024-2025) and Associate Editor of IEEE Access, Frontiers in Neuroscience, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems and IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Artificial Intelligence. He is an IET, BCS, and HEA Senior Fellow.
Date & Time: July 22, 2024, 11:00 – 12:30 Israel Time
Important: The webinar is free but registration is required. Register here
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