Javier Campos, Zhen Dong, Javier Duarte et al. · berkeley
We develop an end-to-end workflow for the training and implementation of co-designed neural networks (NNs) for efficient field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) hardware. Our approach leverages Hessian-aware quantization (HAWQ) of NNs, the Quantized Open Neural Network Exchange (QONNX) intermediate representation, and the hls4ml tool flow for transpiling NNs into FPGA and ASIC firmware. This makes efficient NN implementations in hardware accessible to nonexperts, in a single open-sourced workflow that can be deployed for real-time machine learning applications in a wide range of scientific and industrial settings. We demonstrate the workflow in a particle physics application involving trigger decisions that must operate at the 40 MHz collision rate of the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Given the high collision rate, all data processing must be implemented on custom ASIC and FPGA hardware within a strict area and latency. Based on these constraints, we implement an optimized mixed-precision NN classifier for high-momentum particle jets in simulated LHC proton-proton collisions.
Hendrik Borras, Giuseppe Di Guglielmo, Javier Duarte et al.
We present our development experience and recent results for the MLPerf Tiny Inference Benchmark on field-programmable gate array (FPGA) platforms. We use the open-source hls4ml and FINN workflows, which aim to democratize AI-hardware codesign of optimized neural networks on FPGAs. We present the design and implementation process for the keyword spotting, anomaly detection, and image classification benchmark tasks. The resulting hardware implementations are quantized, configurable, spatial dataflow architectures tailored for speed and efficiency and introduce new generic optimizations and common workflows developed as a part of this work. The full workflow is presented from quantization-aware training to FPGA implementation. The solutions are deployed on system-on-chip (Pynq-Z2) and pure FPGA (Arty A7-100T) platforms. The resulting submissions achieve latencies as low as 20 $μ$s and energy consumption as low as 30 $μ$J per inference. We demonstrate how emerging ML benchmarks on heterogeneous hardware platforms can catalyze collaboration and the development of new techniques and more accessible tools.
Alessandro Pappalardo, Yaman Umuroglu, Michaela Blott et al.
We present extensions to the Open Neural Network Exchange (ONNX) intermediate representation format to represent arbitrary-precision quantized neural networks. We first introduce support for low precision quantization in existing ONNX-based quantization formats by leveraging integer clipping, resulting in two new backward-compatible variants: the quantized operator format with clipping and quantize-clip-dequantize (QCDQ) format. We then introduce a novel higher-level ONNX format called quantized ONNX (QONNX) that introduces three new operators -- Quant, BipolarQuant, and Trunc -- in order to represent uniform quantization. By keeping the QONNX IR high-level and flexible, we enable targeting a wider variety of platforms. We also present utilities for working with QONNX, as well as examples of its usage in the FINN and hls4ml toolchains. Finally, we introduce the QONNX model zoo to share low-precision quantized neural networks.
Applications of machine learning (ML) are growing by the day for many unique and challenging scientific applications. However, a crucial challenge facing these applications is their need for ultra low-latency and on-detector ML capabilities. Given the slowdown in Moore's law and Dennard scaling, coupled with the rapid advances in scientific instrumentation that is resulting in growing data rates, there is a need for ultra-fast ML at the extreme edge. Fast ML at the edge is essential for reducing and filtering scientific data in real-time to accelerate science experimentation and enable more profound insights. To accelerate real-time scientific edge ML hardware and software solutions, we need well-constrained benchmark tasks with enough specifications to be generically applicable and accessible. These benchmarks can guide the design of future edge ML hardware for scientific applications capable of meeting the nanosecond and microsecond level latency requirements. To this end, we present an initial set of scientific ML benchmarks, covering a variety of ML and embedded system techniques.
Shruti R. Kulkarni, Aaron Young, Prasanna Date et al.
This work describes the investigation of neuromorphic computing-based spiking neural network (SNN) models used to filter data from sensor electronics in high energy physics experiments conducted at the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider. We present our approach for developing a compact neuromorphic model that filters out the sensor data based on the particle's transverse momentum with the goal of reducing the amount of data being sent to the downstream electronics. The incoming charge waveforms are converted to streams of binary-valued events, which are then processed by the SNN. We present our insights on the various system design choices - from data encoding to optimal hyperparameters of the training algorithm - for an accurate and compact SNN optimized for hardware deployment. Our results show that an SNN trained with an evolutionary algorithm and an optimized set of hyperparameters obtains a signal efficiency of about 91% with nearly half as many parameters as a deep neural network.
In many real-world applications, graph-structured data used for training and testing have differences in distribution, such as in high energy physics (HEP) where simulation data used for training may not match real experiments. Graph domain adaptation (GDA) is a method used to address these differences. However, current GDA primarily works by aligning the distributions of node representations output by a single graph neural network encoder shared across the training and testing domains, which may often yield sub-optimal solutions. This work examines different impacts of distribution shifts caused by either graph structure or node attributes and identifies a new type of shift, named conditional structure shift (CSS), which current GDA approaches are provably sub-optimal to deal with. A novel approach, called structural reweighting (StruRW), is proposed to address this issue and is tested on synthetic graphs, four benchmark datasets, and a new application in HEP. StruRW has shown significant performance improvement over the baselines in the settings with large graph structure shifts, and reasonable performance improvement when node attribute shift dominates.
Rohan Shenoy, Javier Duarte, Christian Herwig et al.
The Earth mover's distance (EMD) is a useful metric for image recognition and classification, but its usual implementations are not differentiable or too slow to be used as a loss function for training other algorithms via gradient descent. In this paper, we train a convolutional neural network (CNN) to learn a differentiable, fast approximation of the EMD and demonstrate that it can be used as a substitute for computing-intensive EMD implementations. We apply this differentiable approximation in the training of an autoencoder-inspired neural network (encoder NN) for data compression at the high-luminosity LHC at CERN. The goal of this encoder NN is to compress the data while preserving the information related to the distribution of energy deposits in particle detectors. We demonstrate that the performance of our encoder NN trained using the differentiable EMD CNN surpasses that of training with loss functions based on mean squared error.
David Xu, A. Barış Özgüler, Giuseppe Di Guglielmo et al.
Efficient quantum control is necessary for practical quantum computing implementations with current technologies. Conventional algorithms for determining optimal control parameters are computationally expensive, largely excluding them from use outside of the simulation. Existing hardware solutions structured as lookup tables are imprecise and costly. By designing a machine learning model to approximate the results of traditional tools, a more efficient method can be produced. Such a model can then be synthesized into a hardware accelerator for use in quantum systems. In this study, we demonstrate a machine learning algorithm for predicting optimal pulse parameters. This algorithm is lightweight enough to fit on a low-resource FPGA and perform inference with a latency of 175 ns and pipeline interval of 5 ns with $~>~$0.99 gate fidelity. In the long term, such an accelerator could be used near quantum computing hardware where traditional computers cannot operate, enabling quantum control at a reasonable cost at low latencies without incurring large data bandwidths outside of the cryogenic environment.
Active feedback control in magnetic confinement fusion devices is desirable to mitigate plasma instabilities and enable robust operation. Optical high-speed cameras provide a powerful, non-invasive diagnostic and can be suitable for these applications. In this study, we process fast camera data, at rates exceeding 100kfps, on $\textit{in situ}$ Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) hardware to track magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) mode evolution and generate control signals in real-time. Our system utilizes a convolutional neural network (CNN) model which predicts the $n$=1 MHD mode amplitude and phase using camera images with better accuracy than other tested non-deep-learning-based methods. By implementing this model directly within the standard FPGA readout hardware of the high-speed camera diagnostic, our mode tracking system achieves a total trigger-to-output latency of 17.6$μ$s and a throughput of up to 120kfps. This study at the High Beta Tokamak-Extended Pulse (HBT-EP) experiment demonstrates an FPGA-based high-speed camera data acquisition and processing system, enabling application in real-time machine-learning-based tokamak diagnostic and control as well as potential applications in other scientific domains.
Khayrul Islam, Ryan F. Forelli, Jianzhong Han et al.
Precise cell classification is essential in biomedical diagnostics and therapeutic monitoring, particularly for identifying diverse cell types involved in various diseases. Traditional cell classification methods such as flow cytometry depend on molecular labeling which is often costly, time-intensive, and can alter cell integrity. To overcome these limitations, we present a label-free machine learning framework for cell classification, designed for real-time sorting applications using bright-field microscopy images. This approach leverages a teacher-student model architecture enhanced by knowledge distillation, achieving high efficiency and scalability across different cell types. Demonstrated through a use case of classifying lymphocyte subsets, our framework accurately classifies T4, T8, and B cell types with a dataset of 80,000 preprocessed images, accessible via an open-source Python package for easy adaptation. Our teacher model attained 98\% accuracy in differentiating T4 cells from B cells and 93\% accuracy in zero-shot classification between T8 and B cells. Remarkably, our student model operates with only 0.02\% of the teacher model's parameters, enabling field-programmable gate array (FPGA) deployment. Our FPGA-accelerated student model achieves an ultra-low inference latency of just 14.5~$μ$s and a complete cell detection-to-sorting trigger time of 24.7~$μ$s, delivering 12x and 40x improvements over the previous state-of-the-art real-time cell analysis algorithm in inference and total latency, respectively, while preserving accuracy comparable to the teacher model. This framework provides a scalable, cost-effective solution for lymphocyte classification, as well as a new SOTA real-time cell sorting implementation for rapid identification of subsets using in situ deep learning on off-the-shelf computing hardware.
With more scientific fields relying on neural networks (NNs) to process data incoming at extreme throughputs and latencies, it is crucial to develop NNs with all their parameters stored on-chip. In many of these applications, there is not enough time to go off-chip and retrieve weights. Even more so, off-chip memory such as DRAM does not have the bandwidth required to process these NNs as fast as the data is being produced (e.g., every 25 ns). As such, these extreme latency and bandwidth requirements have architectural implications for the hardware intended to run these NNs: 1) all NN parameters must fit on-chip, and 2) codesigning custom/reconfigurable logic is often required to meet these latency and bandwidth constraints. In our work, we show that many scientific NN applications must run fully on chip, in the extreme case requiring a custom chip to meet such stringent constraints.
We develop a pipeline to streamline neural architecture codesign for physics applications to reduce the need for ML expertise when designing models for novel tasks. Our method employs neural architecture search and network compression in a two-stage approach to discover hardware efficient models. This approach consists of a global search stage that explores a wide range of architectures while considering hardware constraints, followed by a local search stage that fine-tunes and compresses the most promising candidates. We exceed performance on various tasks and show further speedup through model compression techniques such as quantization-aware-training and neural network pruning. We synthesize the optimal models to high level synthesis code for FPGA deployment with the hls4ml library. Additionally, our hierarchical search space provides greater flexibility in optimization, which can easily extend to other tasks and domains. We demonstrate this with two case studies: Bragg peak finding in materials science and jet classification in high energy physics, achieving models with improved accuracy, smaller latencies, or reduced resource utilization relative to the baseline models.
Chenwei Xu, Jerry Yao-Chieh Hu, Aakaash Narayanan et al.
We introduce a novel Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) algorithm aimed at addressing the challenge of maintaining a uniform proton beam intensity delivery in the Muon to Electron Conversion Experiment (Mu2e) at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab). Our primary objective is to regulate the spill process to ensure a consistent intensity profile, with the ultimate goal of creating an automated controller capable of providing real-time feedback and calibration of the Spill Regulation System (SRS) parameters on a millisecond timescale. We treat the Mu2e accelerator system as a Markov Decision Process suitable for Reinforcement Learning (RL), utilizing PPO to reduce bias and enhance training stability. A key innovation in our approach is the integration of a neuralized Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller into the policy function, resulting in a significant improvement in the Spill Duty Factor (SDF) by 13.6%, surpassing the performance of the current PID controller baseline by an additional 1.6%. This paper presents the preliminary offline results based on a differentiable simulator of the Mu2e accelerator. It paves the groundwork for real-time implementations and applications, representing a crucial step towards automated proton beam intensity control for the Mu2e experiment.
Extreme data rate scientific experiments create massive amounts of data that require efficient ML edge processing. This leads to unique validation challenges for VLSI implementations of ML algorithms: enabling bit-accurate functional simulations for performance validation in experimental software frameworks, verifying those ML models are robust under extreme quantization and pruning, and enabling ultra-fine-grained model inspection for efficient fault tolerance. We discuss approaches to developing and validating reliable algorithms at the scientific edge under such strict latency, resource, power, and area requirements in extreme experimental environments. We study metrics for developing robust algorithms, present preliminary results and mitigation strategies, and conclude with an outlook of these and future directions of research towards the longer-term goal of developing autonomous scientific experimentation methods for accelerated scientific discovery.
Abhijith Gandrakota, Lily Zhang, Aahlad Puli et al.
Anomaly, or out-of-distribution, detection is a promising tool for aiding discoveries of new particles or processes in particle physics. In this work, we identify and address two overlooked opportunities to improve anomaly detection for high-energy physics. First, rather than train a generative model on the single most dominant background process, we build detection algorithms using representation learning from multiple background types, thus taking advantage of more information to improve estimation of what is relevant for detection. Second, we generalize decorrelation to the multi-background setting, thus directly enforcing a more complete definition of robustness for anomaly detection. We demonstrate the benefit of the proposed robust multi-background anomaly detection algorithms on a high-dimensional dataset of particle decays at the Large Hadron Collider.
We develop an automated pipeline to streamline neural architecture codesign for fast, real-time Bragg peak analysis in high-energy diffraction microscopy. Traditional approaches, notably pseudo-Voigt fitting, demand significant computational resources, prompting interest in deep learning models for more efficient solutions. Our method employs neural architecture search and AutoML to enhance these models, including hardware costs, leading to the discovery of more hardware-efficient neural architectures. Our results match the performance, while achieving a 13$\times$ reduction in bit operations compared to the previous state-of-the-art. We show further speedup through model compression techniques such as quantization-aware-training and neural network pruning. Additionally, our hierarchical search space provides greater flexibility in optimization, which can easily extend to other tasks and domains.
Philip Harris, Erik Katsavounidis, William Patrick McCormack et al.
Machine learning (ML) is becoming an increasingly important component of cutting-edge physics research, but its computational requirements present significant challenges. In this white paper, we discuss the needs of the physics community regarding ML across latency and throughput regimes, the tools and resources that offer the possibility of addressing these needs, and how these can be best utilized and accessed in the coming years.
Allison McCarn Deiana, Nhan Tran, Joshua Agar et al.
In this community review report, we discuss applications and techniques for fast machine learning (ML) in science -- the concept of integrating power ML methods into the real-time experimental data processing loop to accelerate scientific discovery. The material for the report builds on two workshops held by the Fast ML for Science community and covers three main areas: applications for fast ML across a number of scientific domains; techniques for training and implementing performant and resource-efficient ML algorithms; and computing architectures, platforms, and technologies for deploying these algorithms. We also present overlapping challenges across the multiple scientific domains where common solutions can be found. This community report is intended to give plenty of examples and inspiration for scientific discovery through integrated and accelerated ML solutions. This is followed by a high-level overview and organization of technical advances, including an abundance of pointers to source material, which can enable these breakthroughs.
Colby Banbury, Vijay Janapa Reddi, Peter Torelli et al.
Advancements in ultra-low-power tiny machine learning (TinyML) systems promise to unlock an entirely new class of smart applications. However, continued progress is limited by the lack of a widely accepted and easily reproducible benchmark for these systems. To meet this need, we present MLPerf Tiny, the first industry-standard benchmark suite for ultra-low-power tiny machine learning systems. The benchmark suite is the collaborative effort of more than 50 organizations from industry and academia and reflects the needs of the community. MLPerf Tiny measures the accuracy, latency, and energy of machine learning inference to properly evaluate the tradeoffs between systems. Additionally, MLPerf Tiny implements a modular design that enables benchmark submitters to show the benefits of their product, regardless of where it falls on the ML deployment stack, in a fair and reproducible manner. The suite features four benchmarks: keyword spotting, visual wake words, image classification, and anomaly detection.
Aneesh Heintz, Vesal Razavimaleki, Javier Duarte et al.
We develop and study FPGA implementations of algorithms for charged particle tracking based on graph neural networks. The two complementary FPGA designs are based on OpenCL, a framework for writing programs that execute across heterogeneous platforms, and hls4ml, a high-level-synthesis-based compiler for neural network to firmware conversion. We evaluate and compare the resource usage, latency, and tracking performance of our implementations based on a benchmark dataset. We find a considerable speedup over CPU-based execution is possible, potentially enabling such algorithms to be used effectively in future computing workflows and the FPGA-based Level-1 trigger at the CERN Large Hadron Collider.
Brian Nord, Andrew J. Connolly, Jamie Kinney et al.
The field of astronomy has arrived at a turning point in terms of size and complexity of both datasets and scientific collaboration. Commensurately, algorithms and statistical models have begun to adapt --- e.g., via the onset of artificial intelligence --- which itself presents new challenges and opportunities for growth. This white paper aims to offer guidance and ideas for how we can evolve our technical and collaborative frameworks to promote efficient algorithmic development and take advantage of opportunities for scientific discovery in the petabyte era. We discuss challenges for discovery in large and complex data sets; challenges and requirements for the next stage of development of statistical methodologies and algorithmic tool sets; how we might change our paradigms of collaboration and education; and the ethical implications of scientists' contributions to widely applicable algorithms and computational modeling. We start with six distinct recommendations that are supported by the commentary following them. This white paper is related to a larger corpus of effort that has taken place within and around the Petabytes to Science Workshops (https://petabytestoscience.github.io/).
Convolutional Recurrent Neural Networks (CRNNs) excel at scene text recognition. Unfortunately, they are likely to suffer from vanishing/exploding gradient problems when processing long text images, which are commonly found in scanned documents. This poses a major challenge to goal of completely solving Optical Character Recognition (OCR) problem. Inspired by recently proposed memory-augmented neural networks (MANNs) for long-term sequential modeling, we present a new architecture dubbed Convolutional Multi-way Associative Memory (CMAM) to tackle the limitation of current CRNNs. By leveraging recent memory accessing mechanisms in MANNs, our architecture demonstrates superior performance against other CRNN counterparts in three real-world long text OCR datasets.