Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Bita Darvish Rouhani

Eric S Chung

Douglas Christopher Burger

Daniel Lo

Ritchie Zhao

Venmugil Elango

Maximilian Golub

Ming Gang Liu

Amar Phanishayee

Jinwen Xi

Taesik Na

Nicolo Fusi

Maral Mesmakhosroshahi

Yiren Zhao

Ge Yang

Eric Sen Chung

Rasoul Shafipour

Jeremy Fowers

Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods for reducing operations for training neural networks. A plurality of training data selected from a training data set is used as a plurality of inputs for training a neural network. The neural network includes a plurality of weights. A plurality of loss values are determined based on outputs generated by the neural network and expected output data of the plurality of training data. A subset of the plurality of loss values are determined. An average loss value is determined based on the subset of the plurality of loss values. A set of gradients is calculated based on the average loss value and the plurality of weights in the neural network. The plurality of weights in the neural network are adjusted based on the set of gradients.

Reducing operations for training neural networks

Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods for performing data-aware model pruning for neural networks. During a training phase, a neural network is trained with a first set of data. During a validation phase, inference with the neural network is performed using a second set of data that causes the neural network to generate a first set of outputs at a layer in the neural network. During the validation phase, a plurality of mean values and a plurality of variance values are calculated based on the first set of outputs. A plurality of entropy values are calculated based on the plurality of mean values and the plurality of variance values. A second set of outputs are pruned based on the plurality of entropy values. The second set of outputs are generated by the layer of the neural network using a third set of data.

Data-aware model pruning for neural networks

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a system for optimizing an artificial neural network by configuring a model, based on a plurality of training parameters, to execute a training process, monitoring a plurality of statistics produced upon execution of the training process, and adjusting one or more of the training parameters, based on one or more of the statistics, to maintain at least one of the statistics within a predetermined range. In some embodiments, artificial intelligence (AI) processors may execute a training process on a model, the training process having an associated set of training parameters. Execution of the training process may produce a plurality of statistics. Control processor(s) coupled to the AI processor(s) may receive the statistics, and in accordance therewith, adjust one or more of the training parameters to maintain at least one of the statistics within a predetermined range during execution of the training process.

System for training an artificial neural network

Apparatus and methods for training a neural network accelerator using quantized precision data formats are disclosed, and, in particular, for adjusting floating-point formats used to store activation values during training. In certain examples of the disclosed technology, a computing system includes processors, memory, and a floating-point compressor in communication with the memory. The computing system is configured to produce a neural network comprising activation values expressed in a first floating-point format, select a second floating-point format for the neural network based on a performance metric, convert at least one of the activation values to the second floating-point format, and store the compressed activation values in the memory. Aspects of the second floating-point format that can be adjusted include the number of bits used to express mantissas, exponent format, use of non-uniform mantissas, and/or use of outlier values to express some of the mantissas.

Adjusting activation compression for neural network training

Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods for providing hierarchical and shared exponent floating point data types. First and second shared exponent values are determined based on exponent values of a plurality of floating point values. A third shared exponent value is determined based the first shared exponent value and the second shared exponent value. First and second difference values are determined based on the first shared exponent value, the second shared exponent value, and the third shared exponent value. Sign values and mantissa values are determined for the plurality of floating point values. The sign value and the mantissa value for each floating point value in the plurality of floating point values, the third shared exponent value, the first difference value, and the second difference value are stored in a data structure for a shared exponent floating point data type.

Hierarchical and shared exponent floating point data types

A system for training a neural network receives training data and performing lower precision format training calculations using lower precision format data at one or more training phases. One or more results from the lower precision format training calculations are converted to higher precision format data, and higher precision format training calculations are performed using the higher precision format data at one or more additional training phases. The neural network is modified using the results from the one or more additional training phases. The mixed precision format training calculations train the neural network more efficiently, while maintaining an overall accuracy.

Training neural networks using mixed precision computations

Technology related to training a neural network accelerator using mixed precision data formats is disclosed. In one example of the disclosed technology, a neural network accelerator is configured to accelerate a given layer of a multi-layer neural network. An input tensor for the given layer can be converted from a normal-precision floating-point format to a quantized-precision floating-point format. A tensor operation can be performed using the converted input tensor. A result of the tensor operation can be converted from the block floating-point format to the normal-precision floating-point format. The converted result can be used to generate an output tensor of the layer of the neural network, where the output tensor is in normal-precision floating-point format.

Training neural network accelerators using mixed precision data formats

Methods and apparatus are disclosed supporting a design flow for developing quantized neural networks. In one example of the disclosed technology, a method includes quantizing a normal-precision floating-point neural network model into a quantized format. For example, the quantized format can be a block floating-point format, where two or more elements of tensors in the neural network share a common exponent. A set of test input is applied to a normal-precision flooding point model and the corresponding quantized model and the respective output tensors are compared. Based on this comparison, hyperparameters or other attributes of the neural networks can be adjusted. Further, quantization parameters determining the widths of data and selection of shared exponents for the block floating-point format can be selected. An adjusted, quantized neural network is retrained and programmed into a hardware accelerator.

Flow for quantized neural networks

Perplexity scores are computed for training data samples during ANN training. Perplexity scores can be computed as a divergence between data defining a class associated with a current training data sample and a probability vector generated by the ANN model. Perplexity scores can alternately be computed by learning a probability density function ('PDF') fitting activation maps generated by an ANN model during training. A perplexity score can then be computed for a current training data sample by computing a probability for the current training data sample based on the PDF. If the perplexity score for a training data sample is lower than a threshold, the training data sample is removed from the training data set so that it will not be utilized for training during subsequent epochs. Training of the ANN model continues following the removal of training data samples from the training data set.

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Bita Darvish Rouhani