Emerging computing paradigms: The

case of neuromorphic platforms

Andrea Acquaviva
DAUIN Computer and control Eng. Dept.

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

Neuromorphic platforms
Neuromorphic platforms objective is to enable simulation of Spiking Neural
Networks (SNN) in real-time
The guiding philosophy is not to simulate the brain in complete detail, but to search
for organizing principles that can be applied in practical devices
Real-time (or faster) simulation performance is a desirable feature
Cognitive robotics need to interact with the environment through
asynchronous sensors
analog ASIC

1 billion neurons

Digital
pla=orm
20-wafer system: four million neurons
and one billion synapses

BrainScaleS and SpiNNaker: NM developed in HBP-SP9

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

Programming models
What are suitable programming models for neuromorphic
chip/platforms?
How to describe algorithms
How to map networks on the platform

How to describe algorithms

Examples:
Corelet (for digital neurons TrueNorth system),
Neural compiler (for analog neurons Neurogrid project)
PyNN, NeuroML, OptiML (hardware independent)

For instance PyNN allows to describe a SNN to be mapped

on SpiNNaker
How to map it to platform?
Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

Mapping: The problem

Problem:
Mapping SNN to neuromorphic HW

Objective:
Maximize efficiency neuromorphic computing systems
Scale-up neural max network size
Improve simulation reliability

By optimizing HW resource usage we may understand how the

brain optimise its HW resources

State of art strategies

Communication optimization
Computation optimization
Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

Mapping: Case study on SpiNNaker

Mapping neurons to SpiNNaker cores

SpiNNaker boards with

48 mulK-core chips
connected in a toroidal-
shaped triangular mesh

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

Communication optimization
Allocate neurons to minimize chip-to-chip communication packets generated by
spikes
Approach: Put in the same core densely interconnected neurons through spectral
analysis of the neuron network graph (*)

Transformed space where

highly communicaKng
neurons are clustered
(*) Barchi, Urgese, Macii, Acquaviva, OpKmizing Network Trac for Spiking Neural Network SimulaKons on
Densely Interconnected Many-Core Neuromorphic Pla=orms, IEEE TransacKons on Emerging Topics in CompuKng, 2016

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

A Biological Benchmark

NEURONS

Talamo-Cortical Microcircuit simulation benchmark

Typically scaled down to a factor both in terms of neuron
and synapses
L23E
L23I
L4E
L4I

L5E

L5I

L6E
L6I
TIME
Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

Mapping Impact
Baseline

Op+mized

Cor+cal
Microcircuit

Op+mized

Baseline

EXTERNAL

DUMPED

EXTERNAL

5%

242 K

No

6 M

10%

10%

992 K

No

RUNTIME ERROR

10%

9%

923 K

No

25 M

15%

15%

2 M

No

RUNTIME ERROR

5%

DUMPED

Increasing
network size

(*) Barchi, Urgese, Macii, Acquaviva, OpKmizing Network Trac for Spiking Neural Network SimulaKons on
Densely Interconnected Many-Core Neuromorphic Pla=orms, IEEE TransacKons on Emerging Topics in CompuKng, 2016

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

Computation optimization
Optimize synaptic input computation by splitting synaptic computation
from neuron computation: Synapse-centric approach(*)
Synapses vs neuron simulation allocation of different processors
Post-synapKc neurons
computaKon is divided
among cores
SynapKc input currents are
computed by synapKc
processors;
Neuron processors sum the
input currents for each
neuron
Ecient in case of sparse networks
such as TCM
(*) Knight, Furber, Synapse-Centric Mapping of CorKcal Models to the SpiNNaker Neuromorphic Architecture, FronKers in Neuroscience, 2016

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

Mapping impact
While the synapse-centric approach requires more cores in general, it
allows the network to be simulated in real time in all configurations (*)

Increasing
network size

(*) Knight, Furber, Synapse-Centric Mapping of CorKcal Models to the SpiNNaker Neuromorphic Architecture, FronKers in Neuroscience, 2016

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

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Questions & Challenges

Optimized mapping may use more chip resources (i.e.
more cores) what is the impact on energy?
Lost spikes may be not relevant see their impact on
network functionalities on real applications: go beyond TLM
How to handle external connections to physical sensors?
How mapping can handle dynamic networks (e.g.
neurogenesis)?
Are the optimization we are doing brain-alike?

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

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THANK YOU

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

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How-to

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

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 Methodology

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

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How-to
d

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

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 Talamo-Cortical microcircuit

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

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How-to
Clustering

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

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Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

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 SyNAPSE collaboration, headed by Dharmendra

Modha of IBM Research in Almaden, CA
Digital neurons, 2 billions cores, 100 trillions synapses
corelets

Neurogrid project at Stanford University, Kwabena

Boahen
analog neurons, ultra-low-power subthreshold mode
neural compiler

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

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 Standard spinnaker mapping

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

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Some results
Impact on simulaKon size

Op+mized
Baseline

EXTERNAL
24.5 Million of packets
723 Dumped packets

Andrea Acquaviva (andrea.acquaviva@polito.it)

EXTERNAL
16.5 Million of packets
0 Dumped packets

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