A novel highly reliable low-power nano architecture when von Neumann augments Kolmogorov

Abstract

This work presents a novel architecture, which is both device and circuit independent. The starting idea is that computations can be performed in three fundamentally different ways: entirely digital (using Boolean gates), entirely analog (using analog circuits), or mixed (using both digital and analog circuits). The boundaries between these are sometimes very thin. As an example, a threshold logic gate is already mixed, i.e. even if the inputs and the output are Boolean, the weighted sum-of-inputs is a multiple-valued logic signal, i.e. a low-precision analog signal. It has already been suggested that, at least for CMOS, a mixed analog/digital approach is the most power-efficient solution. Still, the main disadvantages of using analog circuits are: (i) their more complex (handcrafted) design, and (ii) their (expected) lower reliability (signal-to-noise or precision), which will be exacerbated by scaling. Here, we will show how both these disadvantages could be tackled. A constructive solution for Kolmogorov's superposition and (multi-threshold) threshold logic synthesis could be used for automating the design. Digital or threshold logic circuits will compensate for the accumulation of noise in the cascaded (very) low precision analog circuits. These digital circuits will also contribute to a von Neumann's multiplexing scheme used to augment the defect- and fault-tolerance of the architecture. A few examples will show how this architectural approach could be mapped on top of a given (nano) technology.