AbstractIn this paper a new CMOS classifier circuit is presented, simulated, and compared with other recently introduced circuits. The proposed CMOS circuit operates in current‐mode and can classify several types of data. The architecture is designed using two threshold circuits and a subtraction circuit. Among many possible applications of the classifier circuit, template‐based pattern classification, namely template matching and character recognition with corruption, and in another direction its use as a quantizer are given. Using 0.35‐ µm AMS technology parameters, SPICE simulations as well as hard realization results for the classifier and application circuits are included; detailed Monte Carlo analyses to assess parameter mismatch effects are also performed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.