A crossbar array of magnetoresistive memory devices for in-memory computing

Implementations of artificial neural networks that borrow analogue techniques could potentially offer low-power alternatives to fully digital approaches(1-3). One notable example is in-memory computing based on crossbar arrays of non-volatile memories(4-7) that execute, in an analogue manner, multiply-accumulate operations prevalent in artificial neural networks. Various non-volatile memories-including resistive memory(8-13), phase-change memory(14,15) and flash memory(16-19)-have been used for such approaches. However, it remains challenging to develop a crossbar array of spin-transfer-torque magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM)(20-22), despite the technology's practical advantages such as endurance and large-scale commercialization(5). The difficulty stems from the low resistance of MRAM, which would result in large power consumption in a conventional crossbar array that uses current summation for analogue multiply-accumulate operations. Here we report a 64 x 64 crossbar array based on MRAM cells that overcomes the low-resistance issue with an architecture that uses resistance summation for analogue multiply-accumulate operations. The array is integrated with readout electronics in 28-nanometre complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology. Using this array, a two-layer perceptron is implemented to classify 10,000 Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology digits with an accuracy of 93.23 per cent (software baseline: 95.24 per cent). In an emulation of a deeper, eight-layer Visual Geometry Group-8 neural network with measured errors, the classification accuracy improves to 98.86 per cent (software baseline: 99.28 per cent). We also use the array to implement a single layer in a ten-layer neural network to realize face detection with an accuracy of 93.4 per cent.

Automated summary

This paper presents a 64 x 64 crossbar array based on MRAM cells that overcomes the low-resistance issue and successfully implements analogue multiply-accumulate operations in artificial neural networks. The researchers achieved high classification accuracy and face detection using this array for tasks involving 10,000 digits.