A digital processor for neural networks

A special purpose digital processor which is optimized for neural network applications is described. The design is built around a small number of native instructions, each of which correspond to a high level neural network construct, thereby facilitating a highly pipelined processor implementation while simultaneously minimizing the number of instructions required to realize a given network. The neural network processor (NNP(R)) has been implemented for use in both PC/ISA and VME systems and is supported by a full suite of development software.