Hardware-efficient on-line learning through pipelined truncated-error backpropagation in binary-state networks

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) trained using backpropagation are powerful learning architectures that have achieved state-of-the-art performance in various benchmarks. Significant effort has been devoted to developing custom silicon devices to accelerate inference in ANNs. Accelerating the training phase, however, has attracted relatively little attention. In this paper, we describe a hardware-efficient on-line learning technique for feedforward multi-layer ANNs that is based on pipelined backpropagation. Learning is performed in parallel with inference in the forward pass, removing the need for an explicit backward pass and requiring no extra weight lookup. By using binary state variables in the feedforward network and ternary errors in truncated-error backpropagation, the need for any multiplications in the forward and backward passes is removed, and memory requirements for the pipelining are drastically reduced. Further reduction in addition operations owing to the sparsity in the forward neural and backpropagating error signal paths contributes to highly efficient hardware implementation. For proof-of-concept validation, we demonstrate on-line learning of MNIST handwritten digit classification on a Spartan 6 FPGA interfacing with an external 1Gb DDR2 DRAM, that shows small degradation in test error performance compared to an equivalently sized binary ANN trained off-line using standard back-propagation and exact errors. Our results highlight an attractive synergy between pipelined backpropagation and binary-state networks in substantially reducing computation and memory requirements, making pipelined on-line learning practical in deep networks.Comment: Now also consider 0/1 binary activations. Memory access statistics reporte

Learning in neuro/fuzzy analog chips

This paper focus on the design of adaptive mixed-signal fuzzy chips. These chips have parallel architecture and feature electrically-controlable surface maps. The design methodology is based on the use of composite transistors - modular and well suited for design automation. This methodology is supported by dedicated, hardware-compatible learning algorithms that combine weight-perturbation and outstar

STRATEGY MANAGEMENT IN A MULTI-AGENT SYSTEM USING NEURAL NETWORKS FOR INDUCTIVE AND EXPERIENCE-BASED LEARNING

Intelligent agents and multi-agent systems prove to be a promising paradigm for solving problems in a distributed, cooperative way. Neural networks are a classical solution for ensuring the learning ability of agents. In this paper, we analyse a multi-agent system where agents use different training algorithms and different topologies for their neural networks, which they use to solve classification and regression problems provided by a user. Out of the three training algorithms under investigation, Backpropagation, Quickprop and Rprop, the first demonstrates inferior performance to the other two when considered in isolation. However, by optimizing the strategy of accepting or rejecting tasks, Backpropagation agents succeed in outperforming the other types of agents in terms of the total utility gained. This strategy is learned also with a neural network, by processing the results of past experiences. Therefore, we show a way in which agents can use neural network models for both external purposes and internal ones.agents, learning, neural networks, strategy management multi-agent system.

Fast relational learning using bottom clause propositionalization with artificial neural networks

Relational learning can be described as the task of learning first-order logic rules from examples. It has enabled a number of new machine learning applications, e.g. graph mining and link analysis. Inductive Logic Programming (ILP) performs relational learning either directly by manipulating first-order rules or through propositionalization, which translates the relational task into an attribute-value learning task by representing subsets of relations as features. In this paper, we introduce a fast method and system for relational learning based on a novel propositionalization called Bottom Clause Propositionalization (BCP). Bottom clauses are boundaries in the hypothesis search space used by ILP systems Progol and Aleph. Bottom clauses carry semantic meaning and can be mapped directly onto numerical vectors, simplifying the feature extraction process. We have integrated BCP with a well-known neural-symbolic system, C-IL2P, to perform learning from numerical vectors. C-IL2P uses background knowledge in the form of propositional logic programs to build a neural network. The integrated system, which we call CILP++, handles first-order logic knowledge and is available for download from Sourceforge. We have evaluated CILP++ on seven ILP datasets, comparing results with Aleph and a well-known propositionalization method, RSD. The results show that CILP++ can achieve accuracy comparable to Aleph, while being generally faster, BCP achieved statistically significant improvement in accuracy in comparison with RSD when running with a neural network, but BCP and RSD perform similarly when running with C4.5. We have also extended CILP++ to include a statistical feature selection method, mRMR, with preliminary results indicating that a reduction of more than 90 % of features can be achieved with a small loss of accuracy

Deep Learning: Our Miraculous Year 1990-1991

In 2020, we will celebrate that many of the basic ideas behind the deep learning revolution were published three decades ago within fewer than 12 months in our "Annus Mirabilis" or "Miraculous Year" 1990-1991 at TU Munich. Back then, few people were interested, but a quarter century later, neural networks based on these ideas were on over 3 billion devices such as smartphones, and used many billions of times per day, consuming a significant fraction of the world's compute.Comment: 37 pages, 188 references, based on work of 4 Oct 201