Fully analog memristive circuits for optimization tasks: a comparison

We present both an overview and a perspective of recent experimental advances and proposed new approaches to performing computation using memristors. A memristor is a 2-terminal passive component with a dynamic resistance depending on an internal parameter. We provide an brief historical introduction, as well as an overview over the physical mechanism that lead to memristive behavior. This review is meant to guide nonpractitioners in the field of memristive circuits and their...

The interest in memristors has risen due to their possible application both as memory units and as computational devices in combination with CMOS. This is in part due to their nonlinear dynamics, and a strong dependence on the circuit topology. We provide evidence that also purely memristive circuits can be employed for computational purposes. In the present paper we show that a polynomial Lyapunov function in the memory parameters exists for the case of DC controlled memrist...

Networks with memristive devices are a potential basis for the next generation of computing devices. They are also an important model system for basic science, from modeling nanoscale conductivity to providing insight into the information-processing of neurons. The resistance in a memristive device depends on the history of the applied bias and thus displays a type of memory. The interplay of this memory with the dynamic properties of the network can give rise to new behavior...

We discuss the properties of the dynamics of purely memristive circuits using a recently derived consistent equation for the internal memory variables of the involved memristors. In particular, we show that the number of independent memory states in a memristive circuit is constrained by the circuit conservation laws, and that the dynamics preserves these symmetries by means of a projection on the physical subspace. Moreover, we discuss other symmetries of the dynamics under ...

Memristors have recently received significant attention as ubiquitous device-level components for building a novel generation of computing systems. These devices have many promising features, such as non-volatility, low power consumption, high density, and excellent scalability. The ability to control and modify biasing voltages at the two terminals of memristors make them promising candidates to perform matrix-vector multiplications and solve systems of linear equations. In ...

In our work we propose implementing fuzzy logic using memristors. Min and max operations are done by antipodally configured memristor circuits that may be assembled into computational circuits. We discuss computational power of such circuits with respect to m-efficiency and experimentally observed behavior of memristive devices. Circuits implemented with real devices are likely to manifest learning behavior. The circuits presented in the work may be applicable for instance in...

Electricity production from fossil fuels is among the main contributors to global warming. To suppress climate change, energy-efficient systems, devices, and technologies must be implemented. This study investigates strategies for minimizing Joule losses in resistive random access memory (ReRAM) cells, which are also referred to as memristive devices. The basic question that we ask is what is the optimal driving protocol to switch a memristive device from one state to another...

In recent times, neural networks have been gaining increasing importance in fields such as pattern recognition and computer vision. However, their usage entails significant energy and hardware costs, limiting the domains in which this technology can be employed. In this context, the feasibility of utilizing analog circuits based on memristors as efficient alternatives in neural network inference is being considered. Memristors stand out for their configurability and low pow...

Finding the shortest path in a graph has applications to a wide range of optimization problems. However, algorithmic methods scale with the size of the graph in terms of time and energy. We propose a method to solve the shortest path problem using circuits of nanodevices called memristors and validate it on graphs of different sizes and topologies. It is both valid for an experimentally derived memristor model and robust to device variability. The time and energy of the compu...

Memristors, initially introduced in the 1970s, have received increased attention upon successful synthesis in 2008. Considerable work has been done on modeling and applications in specific areas, however, very little is known on the potential of memristors for control applications. Being nanoscopic variable resistors, it is intuitive to think of using them as a variable gain. The main contribution of this paper is the development of a memristive analog gain control framework ...