System and method for storing a sparse matrix

A method of storing a matrix to at least one memory element, wherein the matrix has a plurality of zeros, a plurality of non-zero elements, a plurality of columns, each column having a column address value, and a plurality of rows, each row having a row address value, the method comprising:

• sequentially populating a first array with each non-zero element of the matrix and a second array with the corresponding column address of each non-zero element of the matrix, both the first array and the second array including a single row with a plurality of column locations;
• creating a counter to count the column locations of the second array;
• incrementing the counter from a previous column location to a current column location;
• and
• recording the count of the counter in a third array only if the value in the current column location of the second array indicates the first non-zero element of a matrix row and the value in the current column location of the second array is greater than the value in the previous column location of the second array.

A computing device for storing elements of a sparse matrix, the sparse matrix comprising zeros and non-zero elements as well as rows having row addresses and columns having column addresses, the computing device comprising:

• processing elements for performing comparison and routing operations;
• and
• memory elements comprising a code segment for:
• creating an augmented matrix, wherein, for all of the rows, if the column address value of the last non-zero element in a preceding row is less than the column address value of the first non-zero element in a current row, then a zero-pad placeholder is assigned to the last column of the preceding row;
• creating only a first array and a second array;
• sequentially populating the first array with each non-zero element of the matrix, including any zero-pad placeholders, wherein a value zero is inserted into the first array in place of each zero-pad placeholder;
• and
• sequentially populating the second array with the matrix column address values for each of the non-zero elements, including the column address values for any zero-pad placeholders.

A computing device for storing elements of a sparse matrix, the sparse matrix comprising zeros and non-zero elements as well as rows having row addresses and columns having column addresses, the computing device comprising:

• processing elements for performing comparison and routing operations;
• and
• memory elements comprising a code segment for:
• sequentially populating a first array with each non-zero element of the matrix and a second array with the corresponding column address of each non-zero element of the matrix, both the first array and the second array including a single row with a plurality of column locations;
• creating a counter to count the column locations of the second array;
• incrementing the counter from a previous column location to a current column location;
• and
• recording the count of the counter in a third array only if the value in the current column location of the second array indicates the first non-zero element of a matrix row and the value in the current column location of the second array is greater than the value in the previous column location of the second array.