A scalable analog architecture for neural networks with on-chip learning and refreshing

This paper discusses various techniques for analog storage and handling and proposes a new class of architecture suitable for modular and scalable analog neural networks with on-chip learning and refreshing. The new architecture is based on analog functional blocks and analog pass switches which enhance the system versatility. Supporting algorithms are also developed. A novel characteristic is the full-analog on-chip learning methodology which substantially increases the learning speed. The speedup is evidenced by the utilization of local analog synaptic updating scheme which utterly eliminates time-sharing components. Moreover, this localization scheme conceives unbounded scalability in this neural architecture