EVENT-DRIVEN UNIVERSAL NEURAL NETWORK CIRCUIT

The present invention provides an event-driven universal neural network circuit. The circuit comprises a plurality of neural modules. Each neural module comprises multiple digital neurons such that each neuron in a neural module has a corresponding neuron in another neural module. An interconnection network comprising a plurality of digital synapses interconnects the neural modules. Each synapse interconnects a first neural module to a second neural module by interconnecting a neuron in the first neural module to a corresponding neuron in the second neural module. Corresponding neurons in the first neural module and the second neural module communicate via the synapses. Each synapse comprises a learning rule associating a neuron in the first neural module with a corresponding neuron in the second neural module. A control module generates signals which define a set of time steps for event-driven operation of the neurons and event communication via the interconnection network.