Neuromorphic computing leverages the sparsity of temporal data to reduce processing energy by activating a small subset of neurons and synapses at each time step. When deployed for split computing in edge-based systems, remote neuromorphic processing units (NPUs) can reduce the communication power budget by communicating asynchronously using sparse impulse radio (IR) waveforms. This way, the input signal sparsity translates directly into energy savings both in terms of computation and communication. However, with IR transmission, the main contributor to the overall energy consumption remains the power required to maintain the main radio on. This work proposes a novel architecture that integrates a wake-up radio mechanism within a split computing system consisting of remote, wirelessly connected, NPUs. A key challenge in the design of a wake-up radio-based neuromorphic split computing system is the selection of thresholds for sensing, wake-up signal detection, and decision making. To address this problem, as a second contribution, this work proposes a novel methodology that leverages the use of a digital twin (DT), i.e., a simulator, of the physical system, coupled with a sequential statistical testing approach known as Learn Then Test (LTT) to provide theoretical reliability guarantees. The proposed DT-LTT methodology is broadly applicable to other design problems, and is showcased here for neuromorphic communications. Experimental results validate the design and the analysis, confirming the theoretical reliability guarantees and illustrating trade-offs among reliability, energy consumption, and informativeness of the decisions.

翻译：神经形态计算利用时间数据的稀疏性，通过在每个时间步仅激活少量神经元和突触来降低处理能耗。当此技术部署于边缘系统中的分体计算场景时，远程神经形态处理单元可通过稀疏脉冲无线电波实现异步通信，从而降低通信功率预算。这种设计使得输入信号的稀疏性直接转化为计算与通信两个维度的能耗节省。然而，在脉冲无线电传输中，维持主无线电持续工作所需的功率仍是总体能耗的主要组成部分。本研究提出一种新型架构，在由远程无线连接的神经形态处理单元构成的分体计算系统中集成唤醒无线电机制。基于唤醒无线电的神经形态分体计算系统设计面临的关键挑战在于感知阈值、唤醒信号检测阈值及决策阈值的选取。为解决该问题，本工作第二项贡献是提出一种创新方法：将物理系统的数字孪生（即仿真器）与名为"学习后测试"的序贯统计检验方法相结合，从而提供理论可靠性保障。所提出的DT-LTT方法可广泛适用于其他设计问题，本文以其在神经形态通信中的应用为例进行展示。实验结果验证了设计与分析的有效性，确认了理论可靠性保障，并揭示了可靠性、能耗与决策信息量之间的权衡关系。