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Survey On VLSI Design For Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning

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© 2023 IJRAR April 2023, Volume 10, Issue 2 www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)

Survey On VLSI Design For Artificial Intelligence

And Machine Learning Applications
Arun Tigadi Vaishnavi
Electronics and communication Electronics and Communication
KLE Dr. M S Sheshgiri College of KLE Dr. M S Sheshgiri College of
Engineering & Technology Engineering & Technology
Belgaum, India Belgaum, India

performance ICs used in AIML applications. The process

begins with designing and optimising the circuit with HDLs
Abstract - VLSI creates AIML applications, emphasising their and CAD tools, followed by chip fabrication and testing.
impact on various stages of the design flow. The paper starts with an
overview of VLSI design and its various stages, then moves on to an II. LITERATURE SURVEY
overview of AIML concepts and their relevance to VLSI design. The
paper then delves into the use of AIML at various stages of the design The concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has captivated
process. In addition, the paper discusses the challenges and technology across industries. The global market for AI
limitations of using AIML in VLSI design, such as data availability accelerator chipsets is expected to increase from $8 billion in
and scalability. Overall, the paper emphasises the power of AIML 2019 to $70 billion by 2026. [1]. Improve business revenue and
techniques in VLSI design and how they can significantly improve efficiency by automating repetitive tasks, recommending
the performance and efficiency of modern integrated circuits. Many products, and streamlining customer service. The evolving
problems in various fields have been solved by artificial intelligence neural network (NN) models running on CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs,
(AI). The AI principle is based on human intelligence, which is
and ASICs have been successfully adapted in field applications
interpreted.
such as computer vision, natural language processing (NLP),
and personal recommendation. [2] Intelligence can be found
anywhere. From an efficiency standpoint, ASICs are the most
outstanding method. The total power consumption of edge AI
Keywords – VLSI design, AIML algorithms, flow diagram, devices is in the single to double digits mini-watt range, and the
chip size is small.
I. INTRODUCTION
VLSI design is a specialised field of electrical engineering that Ease of Use
deals with the design and implementation of integrated circuits
A. VLSI design for AIML
(ICs) that contain thousands, if not millions, of transistors on a
single chip. VLSI design is essential in the advancement of Several materials are used in the Very Large Scale Integration
advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and design flow, including silicon, copper, aluminium, silicon
Machine Learning. AIML applications are driving the dioxide, polysilicon, photoresist, tungsten, and nitride, to name
development of advanced computing systems with increased a few. Dopants, metals, and insulators are among the other
processing power, memory capacity, and energy efficiency, materials used. The materials used are determined by the
which are all made possible by VLSI design techniques. VLSI specific requirements of the semiconductor device being
design for AIML applications entails the creation and manufactured. The following steps are involved in the VLSI
optimisation of integrated circuits (ICs) that are specifically design process for AIML applications:
designed for processing large amounts of data and performing
complex computations. Requirement Analysis: Understanding the specific
To ensure future viability, advanced and affordable design requirements of the AI/ML application, such as the type of
techniques with finer optimization must be implemented in the algorithms to be executed, desired performance goals, and
VLSI design flow. power constraints, is part of this step.
The circuit layout is created using computer-aided design Architecture Design: The overall architecture of the hardware
(CAD) tools in physical design. This entails positioning the accelerator or processor is designed in this step.
transistors and interconnects on the chip and optimizing the Algorithm Mapping: Algorithm mapping is the process of
layout for performance, power, and area. Following the mapping AI/ML algorithms onto hardware architecture.
completion of the physical design, the circuit is fabricated using RTL Design: RTL design is the process of creating a hardware
semiconductor manufacturing processes. After that, the chip is description of a design using a hardware description language
tested to ensure that it meets the required specifications. In (HDL) such as Verilog or VHDL.
conclusion, VLSI design is critical for the creation of high-
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Simulation and Verification: To ensure the RTL design's enforcing a set of rules that govern the behaviour of virtual ants.
correctness and functionality, it is simulated using specialised The rules are based on the natural behaviour of ants, who use
software tools. pheromone trails to communicate with one another and find the
Synthesis: After the RTL design has been validated, it is shortest path to food sources. In the case of VLSI design, the
synthesised into a gate-level netlist, which represents the design algorithm generates a graph, with nodes representing
in terms of gates and flip-flops.. components and edges representing connections between them.
Physical Design: Physical design entails laying out the gates The ants move along the perimeter.
and interconnects on the silicon area of the chip to meet the
performance and power targets.
Verification: To ensure that the physical design meets the
required specifications, it is verified using various techniques
such as design rule checking (DRC), layout versus schematic
(LVS) checking, and timing analysis.
Tape-out and Manufacturing: Once the design has been
validated, it is ready for tape-out, which is the process of
creating the final design files for fabrication.
Testing and Validation: The chips are tested and validated
after they are manufactured to ensure their functionality and
performance.
Integration and System-level Testing: Finally, the chips are
integrated into the overall system, and system-level testing is
performed to validate the entire AI/ML application and ensure
its proper operation.

B. Brief on AIML Algorithms Fig 2. Ant Colony Optimization

1.Neural Networks (NNs) Algorithm 3. Transfer Learning Algorithm

Deep learning inspired by the structure and function of the
human brain is made up of interconnected nodes called neurons
that collaborate to process input data and produce an output.
Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Convolutional Neural
Networks (CNNs), and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) are
the three types of neural networks. By adjusting the weights of
the connections between neurons based on input data, ANNs
can be trained to recognise patterns, make predictions, or
perform other tasks. By training the network on a large dataset
of lithography images, CNNs can be used to identify patterns
and defects in lithography images. The output of each neuron
in an RNN is influenced not only by the current input, but also
by the output of the previous neuron.
A pre-trained model is used as a starting point for a new task or
domain in transfer learning. Typically, the pre-trained model
has been trained on a large dataset of related tasks or domains
and has learned general features that can be applied to the new
task or domain. A pre-trained model, for example, can be used
to improve the performance prediction of a new analogue
circuit by learning features from a large set of analogue circuits.
It reduces the amount of data needed to train a new model,
which is especially useful in VLSI design where data collection
can be costly or time-consuming. It also improves electronic
circuit performance by leveraging knowledge from related
tasks or domains, which can lead to improved performance.

Fig 1. Neural Network

2. Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm Fig 3. Transfer Learning

ACO can be used in VLSI design to solve problems such as the

placement and routing of electronic components on a chip. The
placement problem is concerned with determining the best
locations for each component on the chip, whereas the routing
problem is concerned with determining the best connections
between the components. The ACO algorithm operates by
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III. FLOW DIAGRAM
Each step in the VLSI Design Flow is briefly described below:
Specification
This is the first stage of the design process in which we
define the important system parameters that must be
designed into a specification.
High level design
Various details of the design architecture are defined at this
stage. Details about the various functional blocks, as well as the
interface communication protocols between them, are defined
at this stage.
Low level design
This phase is also referred to as the microarchitecture phase.
Lower level design details for each functional block
implementation are designed during this phase. Details such as
modules, state machines, counters, MUXes, decoders, internal
registers, and so on can be included.
RTL coding
During the RTL coding phase, the micro design is modelled in
a Hardware Description Language, such as Verilog/VHDL,
using synthesizable language constructs. Synthesizable
constructs are used so that the RTL model can be fed into a
synthesis tool, which will later map the design to actual gate
level implementation.
Functional verification
The process of verifying the functional characteristics of a
design by generating different input stimuli and checking for
correct behaviour of the design implementation is known as
functional verification.
IJRAR23B1953 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR)
www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)
Logic synthesis
Synthesis is the process by which a synthesis tool, such as a
design compiler, takes the RTL, target technology, and
constraints as inputs and maps the RTL to primitives in the
target technology. After synthesis, functional equivalence
checks are performed to ensure that the input RTL model and
the output gate level model are functionally equivalent.
Placement and Routing
The synthesis tool's gate-level netlist is imported into the place
and route tool in Verilog netlist format. All of the gates and flip-
flops have been placed, and the clock tree synthesis and reset
have been routed. Following the routing of each block, the P&R
tool generates a GDS file, which is used by a foundry to
fabricate the ASIC.
Gate level Simulation
The Placement and Routing tool creates an SDF (Standard
Delay File) with gate timing information. This is annotated
back along with the gate level netlist, and some functional
patterns are run to validate the design's functionality. Static
timing analysis checks can also be performed using a static
timing analysis tool such as Prime time.
Fabrication
After the Placement and Routing phase, the gate level
simulations validate the functional correctness of the gate level
design, and the design is ready for manufacturing. Normally,
the final GDS file (a binary database file format that is the
industry standard for data exchange of integrated circuit or IC
layout artwork) is sent to a foundry that fabricates the silicon.
After fabrication, the chip is properly packaged and ready for
testing.
Post silicon Validation
Once the chip has been returned from fabrication, it must be
tested in a real-world environment before it can be widely used
in the market. This stage entails lab testing with real hardware
boards and software/firmware that programmes the chip.
Because the speed of simulation with RTL is very slow when
compared to testing in the lab with real silicon, there is always
the possibility of discovering a bug in silicon validation, which
is why it is critical before qualifying the design for a market.
IV. DESIGNING VLSI CIRCUITS FOR AIML APPLICATIONS
PRESENTS SEVERAL CHALLENGES
Power Efficiency: Because AI and ML systems require a
significant amount of computational power, they can consume
a lot of power. Power-efficient designs, achieved through
techniques such as voltage scaling, clock gating, and power
gating, are critical for extending battery life in portable devices
and lowering energy consumption in data centres.
Memory Hierarchy: Because AI and ML systems process
large datasets, efficient memory hierarchy design is critical.
Memory placement, cache design, and memory bandwidth
management are critical for minimising data movement and
lowering memory access latency.
Data Privacy and Security: In AI and ML applications, data
privacy and security are critical concerns. To protect sensitive
data and ensure the secure operation of AI and ML systems,
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© 2023 IJRAR April 2023, Volume 10, Issue 2
VLSI circuits with robust security features such as hardware
encryption, secure boot, and tamper detection are required.
Scalability: AI and ML models are constantly evolving, and the
demand for more computational power is increasing. To meet
the performance demands of future applications, it is critical to
design scalable VLSI solutions that can handle the increasing
computational requirements of AI and ML workloads.
V. SEVERAL VLSI TECHNIQUES ARE BEING USED IN AIML
APPLICATIONS TO OVERCOME THE DESIGN CHALLENGES
Low-power design: VLSI techniques are used to optimise AI
and ML systems' power consumption, which is critical for
mobile and edge devices with limited battery life. Power gating,
dynamic voltage scaling, and clock gating are used to reduce
power consumption without sacrificing performance.
Hardware-software co-design: Hardware-software co-design
entails creating customised hardware accelerators that work in
tandem with optimised software algorithms to enable the
efficient execution of AI and ML workloads.
Memory-centric Design: Memory-centric design techniques
optimise the memory hierarchy to minimise data movement,
reduce memory access latency, and improve overall system
performance.
Reconfigurable Computing: FPGAs provide reconfigurable
hardware that can be tailored to specific AI and ML workloads,
allowing for flexible and efficient implementations.
APPLICATIONS
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have a
variety of applications in VLSI design and testing. These are
some of the applications:
Design optimisation: AI/ML algorithms can be used to
optimise VLSI circuit design. These algorithms can learn from
previous designs and make suggestions for new ones. This can
help reduce design time and improve VLSI circuit efficiency.
Layout optimisation: AI/ML algorithms can also be used to
optimise VLSI circuit layout. These algorithms can generate
layouts that minimise the circuit's area, power consumption,
and delay.
Fault detection: AI/ML algorithms can be used to detect flaws
in VLSI circuits. These algorithms are capable of learning from
previous fault data and predicting the most likely cause of a
fault. This can help to reduce the time and cost associated with
testing VLSI circuits.
Improved yield: AI/ML algorithms can be used to boost the
yield of VLSI circuits. These algorithms can analyse data from
previous manufacturing runs and make recommendations for
improvements in the next run. This can reduce the number of
defective chips while also increasing overall yield.
Power optimisation: AI/ML algorithms can be used to
optimise VLSI circuit power consumption. These algorithms
can learn from the behaviour of the circuit and make
suggestions to reduce power consumption while maintaining
performance.
IJRAR23B1953 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR)
www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)
VI. CONCLUSION
Finally, AI/ML algorithms play an important role in VLSI
design and optimisation. AI/ML can help address the
challenges and capitalise on the opportunities presented by the
increasing complexity of VLSI circuits, from improving circuit
performance to optimising manufacturing processes and
accelerating hardware. VLSI engineers and researchers can use
AI/ML to design and optimise circuits that are more efficient,
reliable, and secure, while also lowering design and
manufacturing costs and shortening time-to-market. AI/ML
technologies are expected to become an increasingly important
tool in the VLSI design and optimisation process as they evolve
and mature.
Many tasks in the VLSI design process, such as layout
optimisation, timing analysis, and power optimisation, can be
automated and optimised with AI/ML. This can aid in the
reduction of design time and costs while also improving
performance and reliability. VLSI designers will create
customised circuits for AI/ML applications. With the rapid
growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and other embedded
systems, VLSI circuits optimised for low power and energy
efficiency are in high demand.
VII. FUTURE SCOPE
Healthcare: The introduction of health care applications
has resulted in a complete transformation of the
traditional healthcare industry. The use of AI and ML in
healthcare is currently combined with a mobile
application that aids in the organisation of better
treatment plans for patients while under the supervision
of a physician.
Transportation: AI and machine learning have enormous
potential in the transportation sector. Autopilot has been
used in ships, aircraft, and spacecraft since 1922. Another
example of AI's advancement is autonomous vehicles.
Several companies around the world are working on self-
driving or autonomous vehicles that rely heavily on
machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Manufacturing industry: A number of global startups that
serve the manufacturing industry are based on artificial
intelligence and machine learning. These businesses are
now developing AI-based revenue-boosting solutions.
One of the most unique AI techniques in the
manufacturing industry is data analysis to make the best
future predictions.
Cybersecurity: AI in cyber security is beneficial when
organisations transfer data through cloud networks. As the
threat of hackers grows, AI in cyber security is playing an
important role in keeping data transfers secure. Cognitive AI is
an excellent example of this. It not only detects threats but also
analyses them, providing insights to analysts to help them make
better decisions. AI is improving and becoming more durable
as deep learning networks and machine learning algorithms are
used. This makes it possible for people to recognise potential
threats in the future.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We want to thank the Principal, management of KLE Dr MSS
CET and VGST for providing the necessary infrastructure for
completing this work.
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