Sharon Hu

University of Notre Dame, USA

Challenges and opportunities in accelerating large-scale search using NVM-based in-memory computing

Abstract

Large-scale search plays a crucial role in a wide range of machine learning applications, where achieving fast and energy-efficient search is highly desirable. However, accelerating these operations presents significant challenges due to the sheer data scale and inherently irregular memory access patterns. In-memory computing, such as non-volatile memory (NVM)-based content addressable memory (CAM), has emerged as a promising solution for efficient search acceleration, offering the potential for high-speed, parallel lookups while reducing energy consumption. Yet, selecting the most suitable NVM devices and architectures for CAM-based accelerators remains a complex challenge. This talk will examine how different choices of NVM devices and architectures impact the overall efficiency and performance of CAM-based search accelerators. We will discuss key design considerations, potential bottlenecks, and emerging trends in CAM-based search solutions. The insights gained from this discussion will provide valuable guidance to device researchers, circuit designers, and system architects striving to develop next-generation high-performance accelerators capable of handling large-scale search tasks efficiently and effectively.

Biography

Xiaobo Sharon Hu is Leo E. and Patti Ruth Linbeck Professor of Engineering in the department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, USA. Her research interests include low-power system design, circuit and architecture design with emerging technologies, real-time embedded systems, and hardware-software co-design. She has published more than 450 papers in these areas and received best paper awards from top design automation conferences. She served as the General Chair and/or TPC Chair of Design Automation Conference, Real-Time Systems Symposium, Embedded Systems Week, etc. She was the Editor-in-Chief of ACM Transactions on Design Automation of Electronic Systems and served as Associate Editor of other ACM and IEEE journals.  Sharon Hu is a Fellow of the ACM and the IEEE.