Multiply-accumulate circuit and method for performing multiply-accumulate operations

A method for performing multiply-accumulate operations using a multiply-accumulate circuit configured to process numerical values that are present as input words, each of which is formed from at least two partial words, the circuit being configured to:

• form product partial words as products of each partial word of the first input word of the input words with a different partial word of the second input word of the input words, wherein the partial words of the first input word are permutated relative to their original order corresponding to a permutation selected from a plurality of permulation possibilities implemented by the multiply-accumulate circuit;
• and
• add the product partial words with an accumulation word, which is formed from one or more partial words, in order to determine an updated accumulation word in which product partial words are in each case added to one of the one or more partial words of the accumulation word;
• the method comprising the following steps:
• reading a first word to be processed and a second word to be processed from an external memory;
• controlling the multiply-accumulate circuit to perform a first multiply-accumulate operation, wherein the first word to be processed is used as the first input word, the second word to be processed is used as the second input word, and a first permutation selection is made from the plurality of permutation possibilities;
• reading a third word to be processed from the external memory;
• controlling the multiply-accumulate circuit to perform a second multiply-accumulate operation, wherein the first word to be processed is used as the first input word, the third word to be processed is used as the second input word, and a second permutation selection is made from the plurality of permutation possibilities that differs from the first permutation selection;
• and
• reading out the accumulation word or partial words of the accumulation word.