LAUSR

The requirement of multilevel cell (MLC) resistive random access memory (RRAM) for computing is different than that for MLC storage. It generally requires a linearly spaced conductance median and an ultratight conductance distribution, as the column current are summed up for analog computation. In this article, 3-bit per cell RRAM that is suitable for accurate inference of a deep neural network (DNN) is demonstrated, with ultratight conductance distribution (<1.5% sigma). First, a two-loop write–verify protocol is proposed. Then, statistical experiments are conducted on RRAM array fabricated in Winbond’s 90-nm process. By incorporating the measured conductance distribution into DNN simulation considering the real weight mapping, inference accuracy with only 0.5% degradation over software baseline is achieved for CIFAR-10 data set even when 128 rows are read-out in parallel. By enabling parallel read-out, the system-level energy efficiency and throughput could be improved by $5.3 \times $ and $4.4 \times $ , respectively, compared to the 3-bit per cell RRAM used as MLC storage.