R&D: Role of Phase-Change Memory in Edge Computing and Analog In-Memory Computing – Overview of Recent Research Contributions and Future Challenges

Sensors has published an article written by Alessio Antolini, Francesco Zavalloni, Andrea Lico, Advanced Research Center on Electronic Systems “Ercole de Castro”, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica e dell’Informazione “Guglielmo Marconi”, University of Bologna, 40123 Bologna, Italy, Said Quqa, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale e dei Materiali, University of Bologna, 40123 Bologna, Italy, Lorenzo Greco, Mauro Mangia, Advanced Research Center on Electronic Systems “Ercole de Castro”, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica e dell’Informazione “Guglielmo Marconi”, University of Bologna, 40123 Bologna, Italy, Fabio Pareschi, Dipartimento di Elettronica e Telecomunicazioni, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy, Marco Pasotti, STMicroelectronics, 20864 Agrate Brianza, Italy, and Eleonora Franchi Scarselli, Advanced Research Center on Electronic Systems “Ercole de Castro”, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica e dell’Informazione “Guglielmo Marconi”, University of Bologna, 40123 Bologna, Italy.

Abstract: “Phase Change Memory (PCM) has emerged as a promising non-volatile memory technology with significant applications in both edge computing and analog in-memory computing. This paper synthesizes recent research contributions on the use of PCM for smart sensing, structural health monitoring, neural network acceleration, and binary pattern matching. By examining key advancements, challenges, and potential future developments, this work provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art overview of PCM in these domains, highlighting the possible employments of PCM technology in further edge computing scenarios including medical and human body monitoring.“