Magnetic Random-Access Memory-Based Approximate Computing: An overview

This article presents an overview of the recent developments in the magnetic random access memory (MRAM) for approximate computing. The key technique of approximate computing is to trade off limited accuracy for improvements in other metrics, such as speed, power, and area. With intrinsic current-induced threshold operation and random process variation, MRAM is regarded as a promising candidate for approximate computing. Beginning with the background of approximate computing, this article reviews prior design techniques at the circuit level and recent development trends. Then the physical mechanisms of randomness in MRAM are detailed. Several designs based on MRAM are comprehensively studied and compared in terms of performance. Finally, an outline of possible challenges and future research directions are given.