Neural semiconductor chip and neural networks incorporated therein

Abstract

A base neural semiconductor chip (10) including a neural network or unit (11(#)). The neural network (11(#)) has a plurality of neuron circuits fed by different buses transporting data such as the input vector data, set-up parameters, and control signals. Each neuron circuit (11) includes logic for generating local result signals of the 'fire' type (F) and a local output signal (NOUT) of the distance or category type on respective buses (NR-BUS, NOUT-BUS). An OR circuit (12) performs an OR function for all corresponding local result and output signals to generate respective first global result (R*) and output (OUT*) signals on respective buses (R*-BUS, OUT*-BUS) that are merged in an on-chip common communication bus (COM*-BUS) shared by all neuron circuits of the chip. In a multi-chip network, an additional OR function is performed between all corresponding first global result and output signals (which are intermediate signals) to generate second global result (R**) and output (OUT**) signals, preferably by dotting onto an off-chip common communication bus (COM**-BUS) in the chip's driver block (19). This latter bus is shared by all the base neural network chips that are connected to it in order to incorporate a neural network of the desired size. In the chip, a multiplexer (21) may select either the intermediate output or the global output signal to be fed back to all neuron circuits of the neural network, depending on whether the chip is used in a single or multi-chip environment via a feed-back bus (OR-BUS). The feedback signal is the result of a collective processing of all the local output signals.