A Taxonomy of General Purpose Approximate Computing Techniques

Approximate computing is the idea that systems can gain performance and energy efficiency if they expend less effort on producing a “perfect” answer. Approximate computing techniques propose various ways of exposing and exploiting accuracy–efficiency tradeoffs. We present a taxonomy that classifies approximate computing techniques according to salient features: visibility, determinism, and coarseness. These axes allow us to address questions about the correctability, reproducibility, and control over accuracy–efficiency tradeoffs of different techniques. We use this taxonomy to inform research challenges in approximate architectures, compilers, and applications.