Adjusting activation compression for neural network training
US12165038B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 14, 2019 |
| Grant date | Dec 10, 2024 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 8, 2042 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06N3/048
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
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.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.