Systems and methods for reducing data movement during convolution operations in artificial neural networks

A system comprising:

• a physical processor that executes a software component;
• and
• a hardware accelerator that supports an artificial neural network (ANN) and is communicatively coupled to the software component executed by the physical processor, wherein the hardware accelerator:
• receives an activation data set that is to undergo a convolution operation via a filter kernel of the ANN;
• receives, from the software component, an argument indicating that the filter kernel exceeds at least one boundary of the activation data set when slid across a certain position during the convolution operation;
• determines, based at least in part on the argument, that the hardware accelerator is to generate padding data at the boundary of the activation data set in connection with the certain position of the filter kernel;
• and
• performs the convolution operation by:
• moving the filter kernel to a starting address of the certain position within a local memory device of the hardware accelerator to facilitate processing a portion of the activation data set and the padding data;
• and
• processing the portion of the activation data set and the padding data when the filter kernel slides across the certain position.

A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

• receive, at a hardware accelerator that supports an artificial neural network (ANN), an activation data set that is to undergo a convolution operation via a filter kernel of the ANN;
• receive, at the hardware accelerator, an argument indicating that the filter kernel exceeds at least one boundary of the activation data set when slid across a certain position during the convolution operation;
• determine, based at least in part on the argument, that the hardware accelerator is to generate padding data at the boundary of the activation data set in connection with the certain position of the filter kernel;
• and
• perform, at the hardware accelerator, the convolution operation by:
• moving the filter kernel to a starting address of the certain position within a local memory device of the hardware accelerator to facilitate processing a portion of the activation data set and the padding data;
• and
• processing the portion of the activation data set and the padding data when the filter kernel slides across the certain position.