Title：Refinements to Magnitude Comparison and Bit Replacement in a Correlation Enhancement Algorithm for Stochastic Computing
Authors: Tsuyoshi Iwagaki, Sohma Ohnari, Hideyuki Ichihara
Jounrnals：Proc. IEEE International Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems (MWSCAS)
Published Month: 8
Published Year: 2025
Type: inproceedings
Abstract:
Stochastic computing (SC) is an approximate computing paradigm that uses stochastic numbers (SNs) representing the probability of a `1' appearing in a bit stream. In certain SC operations, a strong correlation between two SNs is necessary to improve computational accuracy. This paper refines a leading correlation enhancement algorithm by modifying the condition for determining the magnitude relationship when processing SNs sequentially. Moreover, by partially relaxing the conditions for bit replacement and introducing thresholds to control these conditions, more opportunities for correlation enhancement are created. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm improves correlation and reduces output errors compared with the existing method, with small area overhead and negligible impact on delay. Power consumption increases moderately depending on whether one or both refinements are applied.
