Design guidelines of stochastic computing based on FinFET: A technology-circuit perspective

Stochastic computing (SC) is a promising alternative to conventional deterministic computing, which enables ultralow power, high error-tolerance and massive parallelism, but not requiring new devices. In this paper, the feasibility of SC circuits based on state-of-the-art FinFET technology are investigated for the first time, with on-chip image processing application as an example. Practical technical issues are carefully examined, including static and transient device variations in 16/14nm FinFET. SC design optimization procedure is also proposed, which can considerably decrease its energy consumption without the penalty of accuracy. The results provide helpful guidelines for energy-efficient stochastic circuit design in new-paradigm computing.