Real Processing-in-Memory with Memristive Memory Processing Unit (mMPU)

Memristive technologies are attractive candidates to replace conventional memory technologies and can also be used to perform logic and arithmetic operations. In this paper, we show how memristors are used to combine data storage and computation in the memory, thus enabling a novel non-von Neumann architecture called the 'memristive memory processing unit' (mMPU). The mMPU relies on a memristive logic technique called 'memristor aided logic' (MAGIC) that requires no modification to the memory array structure. By greatly reducing the data transfer between the CPU and the memory, the mMPU alleviates the primary restriction on performance and energy efficiency in modern computing systems. This paper describes basic principles and design considerations of MAGIC and the mMPU and presents a case study of digital image processing to demonstrate the benefits.