1,376 research outputs found
Sentient Networks
In this paper we consider the question whether a distributed network of
sensors and data processors can form "perceptions" based on the sensory data.
Because sensory data can have exponentially many explanations, the use of a
central data processor to analyze the outputs from a large ensemble of sensors
will in general introduce unacceptable latencies for responding to dangerous
situations. A better idea is to use a distributed "Helmholtz machine"
architecture in which the collective state of the network as a whole provides
an explanation for the sensory data.Comment: PostScript, 14 page
Stochastic Synapses Enable Efficient Brain-Inspired Learning Machines
Recent studies have shown that synaptic unreliability is a robust and
sufficient mechanism for inducing the stochasticity observed in cortex. Here,
we introduce Synaptic Sampling Machines, a class of neural network models that
uses synaptic stochasticity as a means to Monte Carlo sampling and unsupervised
learning. Similar to the original formulation of Boltzmann machines, these
models can be viewed as a stochastic counterpart of Hopfield networks, but
where stochasticity is induced by a random mask over the connections. Synaptic
stochasticity plays the dual role of an efficient mechanism for sampling, and a
regularizer during learning akin to DropConnect. A local synaptic plasticity
rule implementing an event-driven form of contrastive divergence enables the
learning of generative models in an on-line fashion. Synaptic sampling machines
perform equally well using discrete-timed artificial units (as in Hopfield
networks) or continuous-timed leaky integrate & fire neurons. The learned
representations are remarkably sparse and robust to reductions in bit precision
and synapse pruning: removal of more than 75% of the weakest connections
followed by cursory re-learning causes a negligible performance loss on
benchmark classification tasks. The spiking neuron-based synaptic sampling
machines outperform existing spike-based unsupervised learners, while
potentially offering substantial advantages in terms of power and complexity,
and are thus promising models for on-line learning in brain-inspired hardware
Scalable Emulation of Sign-ProblemFree Hamiltonians with Room Temperature p-bits
The growing field of quantum computing is based on the concept of a q-bit
which is a delicate superposition of 0 and 1, requiring cryogenic temperatures
for its physical realization along with challenging coherent coupling
techniques for entangling them. By contrast, a probabilistic bit or a p-bit is
a robust classical entity that fluctuates between 0 and 1, and can be
implemented at room temperature using present-day technology. Here, we show
that a probabilistic coprocessor built out of room temperature p-bits can be
used to accelerate simulations of a special class of quantum many-body systems
that are sign-problemfree or stoquastic, leveraging the well-known
Suzuki-Trotter decomposition that maps a -dimensional quantum many body
Hamiltonian to a +1-dimensional classical Hamiltonian. This mapping allows
an efficient emulation of a quantum system by classical computers and is
commonly used in software to perform Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) algorithms. By
contrast, we show that a compact, embedded MTJ-based coprocessor can serve as a
highly efficient hardware-accelerator for such QMC algorithms providing several
orders of magnitude improvement in speed compared to optimized CPU
implementations. Using realistic device-level SPICE simulations we demonstrate
that the correct quantum correlations can be obtained using a classical
p-circuit built with existing technology and operating at room temperature. The
proposed coprocessor can serve as a tool to study stoquastic quantum many-body
systems, overcoming challenges associated with physical quantum annealers.Comment: Fixed minor typos and expanded Appendi
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