Energy-efficient Machine Learning in Silicon: A Communications-inspired Approach
This addresses energy efficiency challenges for embedded ML systems, but it is a position paper, so it is incremental and conceptual rather than experimental.
The paper tackles the problem of deploying machine learning systems on energy-constrained embedded platforms by proposing a communications-inspired approach, which includes deterministic and stochastic versions to enhance energy efficiency without specifying concrete numerical results.
This position paper advocates a communications-inspired approach to the design of machine learning systems on energy-constrained embedded `always-on' platforms. The communications-inspired approach has two versions - 1) a deterministic version where existing low-power communication IC design methods are repurposed, and 2) a stochastic version referred to as Shannon-inspired statistical information processing employing information-based metrics, statistical error compensation (SEC), and retraining-based methods to implement ML systems on stochastic circuit/device fabrics operating at the limits of energy-efficiency. The communications-inspired approach has the potential to fully leverage the opportunities afforded by ML algorithms and applications in order to address the challenges inherent in their deployment on energy-constrained platforms.