NIPS-93 Workshop "Parallel Processing"

[Joachim Diederich]

NIPS*93 Workshop:	Connectionist Modelling and Parallel Architectures
=================	--------------------------------------------------
			4 December 1993; Vail, Colorado


Intended Audience:	computer scientists and engineers as well as
==================	biologists and cognitive scientists

Organizers:
===========

	Joachim Diederich			Ah Chung Tsoi

  Neurocomputing Research Centre   Department of Elec. and Computer Engineering
Queensland University of Technology	  University of Queensland
  joachim at fitmail.fit.qut.edu.au	     act at s1.elec.uq.oz.au


Program:
========

The objective of the workshop is  to  provide  a  discussion
platform   for   researchers   interested  in  software  and
modelling aspects of neural computing. The  workshop  should
be  of  considerable  interest  to  computer  scientists and
engineers as well as biologists and cognitive scientists.

The  introduction  of  specialized  hardware  platforms  for
connectionist  modelling ("connectionist supercomputer") has
created  a  number  of  research  issues  which  should   be
addressed. Some of these issues are controversial (incl. the
need for  such  specialized  architectures):  the  efficient
implementation  of incremental learning techniques, the need
for the dynamic reconfiguration of networks at  runtime  and
possible programming environments for these machines.

The following topics should be addressed:

-  the   efficient   simulation   of   homogenuous   network
architectures;  mapping  of homogenous network architectures
to parallel machines

- randomness and sparse coding; the efficient simulation  of
sparse  networks on sequential and parallel machines. Sparse
activity and communication in parallel architectures

- arbitrary interconnection schemes  and  their  mapping  to
parallel architectures

-  dynamic  reconfiguration:  the  modification  of  network
structures  and  activation  functions  at runtime. Possible
trade-offs between the efficient simulation  of  fixed-sized
networks and constructive (incremental) learning algorithms

-  software  tools  and  environments  for  neural   network
modelling, in particular for parallel architectures

- connectionist supercomputer (such as  CNAPS,  Synapse  and
CNS-1)  hardware  and  programming  issues  associated  with
connectionist supercomputer

- biologically realistic modelling on parallel machines, the
simulation of synaptogenesis, spike trains etc.

- realistic simulation  of  the  brain  integrating  over  a
number of scales of complexity, from the detailed simulation
of neurons to high level abstractions


The following is a preliminary schedule, we expect to have two more slots
for brief presentations and invite abstracts for short talks (about 10-15min).
Please send e-mail to: joachim at fitmail.fit.qut.edu.au

Morning Session:
----------------

7:30-7:40	Joachim Diederich, Queensland University of Tech., Brisbane
		Introduction

7:40-8:10	Jerome A. Feldman, ICSI & University of California, Berkeley
		The Connectionist Network Supercomputer (CNS-1)

8:10-8:30	Discussion

8:30-8:50	Nigel Goddard, Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center
		Practical Parallel Neural Simulation

8:50-9:10	Per Hammarlund, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
		Simulation of Large Neural Networks: System Specification and
		Execution on Parallel Machines

9:10-9:30	Discussion
 
Afternoon Session:
------------------

4:30-4:50	Paul Murtagh & Ah Chung Tsoi, University of Queensland, St. Lucia
		Digital implementation of a reconfigurable VLSI
		neural network chip

4:50-5:20	Ulrich Ramacher, Siemens AG, Munich
		The Neurocomputer SYNAPSE-1

5:20-5:30	Discussion

5:30-6:00	Guenther Palm & Franz Kurfess, University of Ulm
		Parallel Implementations of Neural Networks
		for Associative Memory

6:00-6:30	Discussion