69,086 research outputs found
PyCARL: A PyNN Interface for Hardware-Software Co-Simulation of Spiking Neural Network
We present PyCARL, a PyNN-based common Python programming interface for
hardware-software co-simulation of spiking neural network (SNN). Through
PyCARL, we make the following two key contributions. First, we provide an
interface of PyNN to CARLsim, a computationally-efficient, GPU-accelerated and
biophysically-detailed SNN simulator. PyCARL facilitates joint development of
machine learning models and code sharing between CARLsim and PyNN users,
promoting an integrated and larger neuromorphic community. Second, we integrate
cycle-accurate models of state-of-the-art neuromorphic hardware such as
TrueNorth, Loihi, and DynapSE in PyCARL, to accurately model hardware latencies
that delay spikes between communicating neurons and degrade performance. PyCARL
allows users to analyze and optimize the performance difference between
software-only simulation and hardware-software co-simulation of their machine
learning models. We show that system designers can also use PyCARL to perform
design-space exploration early in the product development stage, facilitating
faster time-to-deployment of neuromorphic products. We evaluate the memory
usage and simulation time of PyCARL using functionality tests, synthetic SNNs,
and realistic applications. Our results demonstrate that for large SNNs, PyCARL
does not lead to any significant overhead compared to CARLsim. We also use
PyCARL to analyze these SNNs for a state-of-the-art neuromorphic hardware and
demonstrate a significant performance deviation from software-only simulations.
PyCARL allows to evaluate and minimize such differences early during model
development.Comment: 10 pages, 25 figures. Accepted for publication at International Joint
Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN) 202
ACTS in Need: Automatic Configuration Tuning with Scalability Guarantees
To support the variety of Big Data use cases, many Big Data related systems
expose a large number of user-specifiable configuration parameters. Highlighted
in our experiments, a MySQL deployment with well-tuned configuration parameters
achieves a peak throughput as 12 times much as one with the default setting.
However, finding the best setting for the tens or hundreds of configuration
parameters is mission impossible for ordinary users. Worse still, many Big Data
applications require the support of multiple systems co-deployed in the same
cluster. As these co-deployed systems can interact to affect the overall
performance, they must be tuned together. Automatic configuration tuning with
scalability guarantees (ACTS) is in need to help system users. Solutions to
ACTS must scale to various systems, workloads, deployments, parameters and
resource limits. Proposing and implementing an ACTS solution, we demonstrate
that ACTS can benefit users not only in improving system performance and
resource utilization, but also in saving costs and enabling fairer
benchmarking
The Glasgow raspberry pi cloud: a scale model for cloud computing infrastructures
Data Centers (DC) used to support Cloud services
often consist of tens of thousands of networked machines under a single roof. The significant capital outlay required to replicate such infrastructures constitutes a major obstacle to practical implementation and evaluation of research in this domain. Currently, most research into Cloud computing relies on either limited software simulation, or the use of a testbed environments
with a handful of machines. The recent introduction of the
Raspberry Pi, a low-cost, low-power single-board computer, has made the construction of a miniature Cloud DCs more affordable.
In this paper, we present the Glasgow Raspberry Pi Cloud
(PiCloud), a scale model of a DC composed of clusters of
Raspberry Pi devices. The PiCloud emulates every layer of a
Cloud stack, ranging from resource virtualisation to network
behaviour, providing a full-featured Cloud Computing research and educational environment
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