StreamBrain : An HPC Framework for Brain-like Neural Networks on CPUs, GPUs and FPGAs

• The modern deep learning method based on backpropagation has surged in popularity and has been used in multiple domains and application areas. At the same time, there are other - less-known - machine learning algorithms with a mature and solid theoretical foundation whose performance remains unexplored. One such example is the brain-like Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN). In this paper, we introduce StreamBrain - a framework that allows neural networks based on BCPNN to be practically deployed in High-Performance Computing systems. StreamBrain is a domain-specific language (DSL), similar in concept to existing machine learning (ML) frameworks, and supports backends for CPUs, GPUs, and even FPGAs. We empirically demonstrate that StreamBrain can train the well-known ML benchmark dataset MNIST within seconds, and we are the first to demonstrate BCPNN on STL-10 size networks. We also show how StreamBrain can be used to train with custom floating-point formats and illustrate the impact of using different bfloat variations on BCPNN using FPGAs.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Data- och informationsvetenskap -- Datavetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Computer and Information Sciences -- Computer Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

AI

BCPNN

Emerging Machine Learning

FPGA

GPU

HPC

Neural networks

Representation learning

Unsupervised learning

Backpropagation

Deep learning

Digital arithmetic

Field programmable gate arrays (FPGA)

Learning systems

Problem oriented languages

Program processors

Application area

Benchmark datasets

Domain specific languages

Floating points

High performance computing systems

Learning methods

Multiple domains

Theoretical foundations

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