Real Time Machine Learning (2019) [pdf] | Hacker News Reader

Real Time Machine Learning (2019) [pdf]

darpa.mil

156 pointsapsec11217 comments

> program seeks to create no-human-in-the-loop hardware generators and compilers to enable fully automated creation of ML Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs)

Of course it's a fairly obvious use of ML/AI. There are just so many fascinating ways this can play out in the future - it's going to be an interesting ride!

Note also, Olofsson is the founder of Adapteva [i].

[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adapteva

Despite myself I’m disappointed this wasn’t about time machines.

The power/performance spectrum seems to be very wide:

200uW for 400Kbps throughput with 0.6 accuracy

200W for 400Gps with higher accuracy with 0.99 accuracy

I guess will be interesting where in this range the result (if any) will fall.

It’d be nice if they implemented TCP over that 400Kbps w/ 60% accuracy. Would be a nice projection of what sort of loss and efficiency should be expected.

I guess they want silicon for different uses. Embedded with low power consumption (on a soldier/handheld for example), in a vehicle, in a datacenter, etc.

With each situation, your need for precision can vary, and along with it the requirement for processing power.

A model tuned for 75% accuracy is lighter and faster to run (fewer layers) vs 85% (several times bigger, slower). I've made up the numbers to illustrate a point. This is anecdotal and I'm not an ML expert. But here's some evidence:

1. https://ai.googleblog.com/2019/03/an-all-neural-on-device-sp...

2. https://ai.googleblog.com/2018/05/custom-on-device-ml-models...

3. https://krisp.ai/blog/how-we-shrunk-dnn-to-run-inside-chrome...

I did a deep-dive into RTML on Twitter[0][1] just now after seeing this post, and I hope to bring some context and clarity to this project, which is done in conjunction with the National Science Foundation (NSF).

@DARPA Twitter thread [2019] on RTML

https://twitter.com/darpa/status/1108760215611236353

Report in OP’s linked PDF authored by Andreas Olofsson

https://d60.darpa.mil/speakers/MrAndreasOlofsson.html

DARPA RTML program overseen by Serge Leef

https://www.darpa.mil/staff/mr-serge-leef

Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI) Summit 2019 talk on RTML

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQfddARnNB0

ERI Summit site

https://eri-summit.darpa.mil/

ERI @ DARPA

https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/electronics-resurgence-in...

National Science Foundation (NSF) RTML program

https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505640

My unrolled Twitter thread, for convenience

[0] https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1292268278958694402.html

Direct link to my Twitter thread

[1] https://twitter.com/aspenmayer/status/1292268278958694402

Edit:

This late edit was informed by additional info about those awarded grants from DARPA to study RTML, from HN user WillSlim95.

https://ece.umn.edu/prof-sachin-sapatnekar-to-lead-darpa-fun...

In brief, Professor Sachin Sapatnekar (ACM Fellow [2016], University of Minnesota, College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering) has been awarded a $2.2M grant from DARPA, “to build open-source hardware generators for a range of machine learning algorithms that process data in real time.”

His faculty page

https://ece.umn.edu/directory/sapatnekar-sachin/

Quirky OG Web 1.0 faculty page

https://people.ece.umn.edu/users/sachin/

Awesome, thank you for the details!

Thank you for sharing all the relevant information!

The author of these slides is the creator of Parallela.

Interesting, I hadn't heard the Parallela name in years. I remember them making some utterly unrealistic promises about close to triple digit cpu core sbc's back in the first half of the 2010's and that was that.

I remember when I saw Parallela, I thought it might have interesting applications for low-cost, low-power, embedded ML applications.

Is there any information on who competed for (and ultimately won) the contract?

Sachin Sapatnekar from University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

https://ece.umn.edu/prof-sachin-sapatnekar-to-lead-darpa-fun...

I really was hoping this lets me learn about real time machines...

Only related to ‘low-power’ AI I recently came across Ogma[1] And though the combination of online learning and something that works on a Raspberry Pi was fascinating. Surprised it’s not appeared on here before

[1] https://ogma.ai/category/ogmaneo/

Has Andreas Olofsson left Adapteva for greener pastures? His LinkedIN profile makes an impression he has moved on.

Does anyone get to be a DARPA Program Manager while being a CEO of another company?

He left Adapteva to become a PM at DARPA and has now moved on from DARPA.

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