China’s Revolutionary Non-Binary AI Chip Enters Mass Production

China has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by initiating mass production of the world’s first non-binary AI chip. This innovative technology, developed by Professor Li Hongge’s team at Beihang University, overcomes limitations of traditional computing by integrating binary and stochastic logic.

A Leap Beyond Binary: The Hybrid Stochastic Number (HSN) System

The new AI chip leverages a novel numerical system called Hybrid Stochastic Number (HSN), combining the precision of binary computation with the efficiency of probabilistic computing. This allows for enhanced fault tolerance and power efficiency, paving the way for advanced applications in:

• Touch Displays
• Flight Systems
• Aircraft Navigation
• And more…

Overcoming the “Power Wall” and “Architecture Wall”

Traditional chip technologies face challenges such as the “power wall” and “architecture wall.” The HSN system addresses these issues by:

• Reducing power consumption through probabilistic computing.
• Enabling seamless communication with traditional systems.

Applications and Future Developments

The chip has been fabricated using Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation’s mature 110-nanometre process technology, and a high-efficiency multiplier chip for machine learning has been created using a standard 28nm CMOS process. Its applications extend to intelligent control scenarios like touch recognition and instrument displays.

Professor Li’s team aims to further enhance the chip’s capabilities for speech and image processing, AI large model acceleration, and other complex computing tasks. With on-chip computing latency at the microsecond level, this non-binary AI chip marks a significant advancement in the field, offering a balance between high-performance hardware and flexible software programmability.

Source: Guangming Daily, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Microelectronics Journal

Related Topics: AI Chips, China Technology, Non-Binary Computing