Archive-name: ai-faq/neural-nets/part7
Last-modified: 1995/07/06
URL: http://wwwipd.ira.uka.de/~prechelt/FAQ/neural-net-faq.html
Maintainer: prechelt@ira.uka.de (Lutz Prechelt)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Neural Networks 7 of 7 This is part 7 (of 7) of a monthly posting to the Usenet newsgroup comp.ai.neural-nets. See the part 1 of this posting for full information what it is all about.

========== Questions ==========

Part 1: Introduction
    What is this newsgroup for? How shall it be used?
    What is a neural network (NN)?
    What can you do with a Neural Network and what not?
    Who is concerned with Neural Networks?

Part 2: Learning
    What does 'backprop' mean? What is 'overfitting'?
    Why use a bias input? Why activation functions?
    How many hidden units should I use?
    How many learning methods for NNs exist? Which?
    What about Genetic Algorithms and Evolutionary Computation?
    What about Fuzzy Logic?
    How are NNs related to statistical methods?

Part 3: Information resources
    Good introductory literature about Neural Networks?
    Any journals and magazines about Neural Networks?
    The most important conferences concerned with Neural Networks?
    Neural Network Associations?
    Other sources of information about NNs?

Part 4: Datasets
    Databases for experimentation with NNs?

Part 5: Free software
    Freely available software packages for NN simulation?

Part 6: Commercial software
    Commercial software packages for NN simulation?

Part 7: Hardware
    Neural Network hardware?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Neural Network hardware?

[who will write some short comment on the most important HW-packages and chips?]

The Number 1 of each volume of the journal "Neural Networks" has a list of some dozens of suppliers of Neural Network support: Software, Hardware, Support, Programming, Design and Service.

There is an article by J.A. Hegt (Eindhoven) from 1993 available from ftp://ftp.urc.tue.nl/pub/neural/hardware_general.ps.gz

Another overview article from 1995 can be found in ftp://ftp.mrc-apu.cam.ac.uk/pub/nn/murre/neurhard.ps

Here is a short list of companies:

  1. HNC, INC.
  2.   HNC Inc.
      5930 Cornerstone Court West
      San Diego, CA 92121-3728
    
      619-546-8877	Phone
      619-452-6524	Fax
      HNC markets:
       Database Mining Workstation (DMW), a PC based system that
       builds models of relationships and patterns in data. AND
       The SIMD Numerical Array Processor (SNAP). It is an attached
       parallel array processor in a VME chassis with between 16 and 64 parallel
       floating point processors. It provides between 640 MFLOPS and 2.56 GFLOPS
       for neural network and signal processing applications.  A Sun SPARCstation
       serves as the host.  The SNAP won the IEEE 1993 Gordon Bell Prize for best 
       price/performance for supercomputer class systems.
    

  3. SAIC (Sience Application International Corporation)
  4.    10260 Campus Point Drive
       MS 71, San Diego
       CA 92121
       (619) 546 6148
       Fax: (619) 546 6736
    

  5. Micro Devices
  6.    30 Skyline Drive
       Lake Mary
       FL 32746-6201
       (407) 333-4379
       MicroDevices makes   MD1220 - 'Neural Bit Slice'
       Each of the products mentioned sofar have very different usages.
       Although this sounds similar to Intel's product, the
       architectures are not.
    

  7. Intel Corp
  8.    2250 Mission College Blvd
       Santa Clara, Ca 95052-8125
       Attn ETANN, Mail Stop SC9-40
       (408) 765-9235
       Intel was making an experimental chip (which is no longer produced):
       80170NW - Electrically trainable Analog Neural Network (ETANN)
       It has 64 'neurons' on it - almost fully internally connectted
       and the chip can be put in an hierarchial architecture to do 2 Billion
       interconnects per second.
       Support software by
         California Scientific Software
         10141 Evening Star Dr #6
         Grass Valley, CA 95945-9051
         (916) 477-7481
       Their product is called 'BrainMaker'.
    

  9. NeuralWare, Inc
  10.    Penn Center West
       Bldg IV Suite 227
       Pittsburgh
       PA 15276
       They only sell software/simulator but for many platforms.
    

  11. Tubb Research Limited
  12.    7a Lavant Street
       Peterfield
       Hampshire
       GU32 2EL
       United Kingdom
       Tel: +44 730 60256
    

  13. Adaptive Solutions Inc
  14.    1400 NW Compton Drive
       Suite 340
       Beaverton, OR 97006
       U. S. A.
       Tel: 503-690-1236;   FAX: 503-690-1249
    

  15. NeuroDynamX, Inc.
  16.    4730 Walnut St., Suite 101B
       Boulder, CO 80301
       Voice: (303) 442-3539   Fax: (303) 442-2854
       Internet: techsupport@ndx.com
       NDX sells a number neural network hardware products:
       NDX Neural Accelerators: a line of i860-based accelerator cards for
       the PC that give up to 45 million connections per second for use 
       with the DynaMind neural network software.
       iNNTS: Intel's 80170NX (ETANN) Neural Network Training System. NDX's president
       was one of the co-designers of this chip.
    

  17. IC Tech
  18. NEURO-COMPUTING IC's:
    *  DANN050L (dendro-dendritic artificial neural network)
       + 50 neurons fully connected at the input
       + on-chip digital learning capability
       + 6 billion connections/sec peak speed
       + learns 7 x 7 template in < 50 nsec., recalls in < 400 nsec.
       + low power < 100 milli Watts
       + 64-pin package
    *  NCA717D  (neuro correlator array)
       + analog template matching in < 500 nsec.
       + analog input / digital output pins for real-time computation 
       + vision applications in stereo and motion computation
       + 40-pin package 
    NEURO COMPUTING BOARD:
    *  ICT1050 
       + IBM PC compatible or higher
       + with on-board DANN050L
       + digital interface
       + custom configurations available
    Contact:
    IC Tech (Innovative Computing Technologies, Inc.)
    4138 Luff Court
    Okemos, MI 48864
    (517) 349-4544
    ictech@mcimail.com
    
And here is an incomplete overview over known Neural Computers with their newest known reference.

\subsection*{Digital}
\subsubsection{Special Computers}

{\bf AAP-2}
Takumi Watanabe, Yoshi Sugiyama, Toshio Kondo, and Yoshihiro Kitamura.
Neural network simulation on a massively parallel cellular array
processor: AAP-2. 
In International Joint Conference on Neural Networks, 1989.

{\bf ANNA}
B.E.Boser, E.Sackinger, J.Bromley, Y.leChun, and L.D.Jackel.\\
Hardware Requirements for Neural Network Pattern Classifiers.\\
In {\it IEEE Micro}, 12(1), pages 32-40, February 1992.

{\bf Analog Neural Computer}
Paul Mueller et al. 
Design and performance of a prototype analog neural computer. 
In Neurocomputing, 4(6):311-323, 1992.

{\bf APx -- Array Processor Accelerator}\\
F.Pazienti.\\
Neural networks simulation with array processors. 
In {\it Advanced Computer Technology, Reliable Systems and Applications;
Proceedings of the 5th Annual Computer Conference}, pages 547-551. 
IEEE Comput. Soc. Press, May 1991. ISBN: 0-8186-2141-9.

{\bf ASP -- Associative String Processor}\\
A.Krikelis.\\
A novel massively associative processing architecture for the
implementation artificial neural networks.\\
In {\it 1991 International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and 
Signal Processing}, volume 2, pages 1057-1060. IEEE Comput. Soc. Press,
May 1991.

{\bf BSP400}
Jan N.H. Heemskerk, Jacob M.J. Murre, Jaap Hoekstra, Leon H.J.G.
Kemna, and Patrick T.W. Hudson. 
The bsp400: A modular neurocomputer assembled from 400 low-cost
microprocessors. 
In International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks. Elsevier
Science, 1991.

{\bf BLAST}\\
J.G.Elias, M.D.Fisher, and C.M.Monemi.\\
A multiprocessor machine for large-scale neural network simulation.
In {\it IJCNN91-Seattle: International Joint Conference on Neural
Networks}, volume 1, pages 469-474. IEEE Comput. Soc. Press, July 1991.
ISBN: 0-7883-0164-1.

{\bf CNAPS Neurocomputer}\\
H.McCartor\\
Back Propagation Implementation on the Adaptive Solutions CNAPS
Neurocomputer.\\
In {\it Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems}, 3, 1991.

{\bf GENES~IV and MANTRA~I}\\
Paolo Ienne and  Marc A. Viredaz\\
{GENES~IV}: A Bit-Serial Processing Element for a Multi-Model 
   Neural-Network Accelerator\\
Proceedings of the International Conference on Application Specific Array
   Processors, Venezia, 1993.

{\bf MA16 -- Neural Signal Processor}
U.Ramacher, J.Beichter, and N.Bruls.\\
Architecture of a general-purpose neural signal processor.\\
In {\it IJCNN91-Seattle: International Joint Conference on Neural
Networks}, volume 1, pages 443-446. IEEE Comput. Soc. Press, July 1991.
ISBN: 0-7083-0164-1.

{\bf MANTRA I}\\
Marc A. Viredaz\\
{MANTRA~I}: An {SIMD} Processor Array for Neural Computation
Proceedings of the Euro-ARCH'93 Conference, {M\"unchen}, 1993.

{\bf Mindshape}
Jan N.H. Heemskerk, Jacob M.J. Murre Arend Melissant, Mirko Pelgrom,
and Patrick T.W. Hudson. 
Mindshape: a neurocomputer concept based on a fractal architecture. 
In International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks. Elsevier
Science, 1992. 

{\bf mod 2}
Michael L. Mumford, David K. Andes, and Lynn R. Kern. 
The mod 2 neurocomputer system design. 
In IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, 3(3):423-433, 1992.

{\bf NERV}\\
R.Hauser, H.Horner, R. Maenner, and M.Makhaniok.\\
Architectural Considerations for NERV - a General Purpose Neural
Network Simulation System.\\
In {\it Workshop on Parallel Processing: Logic, Organization and
Technology -- WOPPLOT 89}, pages 183-195. Springer Verlag, Mars 1989.
ISBN: 3-5405-5027-5.

{\bf NP -- Neural Processor}\\
D.A.Orrey, D.J.Myers, and J.M.Vincent.\\
A high performance digital processor for implementing large artificial
neural networks.\\
In {\it Proceedings of of the IEEE 1991 Custom Integrated Circuits
Conference}, pages 16.3/1-4. IEEE Comput. Soc. Press, May 1991. 
ISBN: 0-7883-0015-7.

{\bf RAP -- Ring Array Processor }\\
N.Morgan, J.Beck, P.Kohn, J.Bilmes, E.Allman, and J.Beer.\\
The ring array processor: A multiprocessing peripheral for connectionist
applications. \\
In {\it Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing}, pages
248-259, April 1992.

{\bf RENNS -- REconfigurable Neural Networks Server}\\
O.Landsverk, J.Greipsland, J.A.Mathisen, J.G.Solheim, and L.Utne.\\
RENNS - a Reconfigurable Computer System for Simulating Artificial
Neural Network Algorithms.\\
In {\it Parallel and Distributed Computing Systems, Proceedings of the
ISMM 5th International Conference}, pages 251-256. The International
Society for Mini and Microcomputers - ISMM, October 1992. 
ISBN: 1-8808-4302-1.

{\bf SMART -- Sparse Matrix Adaptive and Recursive Transforms}\\
P.Bessiere, A.Chams, A.Guerin, J.Herault, C.Jutten, and J.C.Lawson.\\
From Hardware to Software: Designing a ``Neurostation''.\\
In {\it VLSI design of Neural Networks}, pages 311-335, June 1990.

{\bf SNAP -- Scalable Neurocomputer Array Processor}
E.Wojciechowski.\\
SNAP: A parallel processor for implementing real time neural networks.\\
In {\it Proceedings of the IEEE 1991 National Aerospace and Electronics
Conference; NAECON-91}, volume 2, pages 736-742. IEEE Comput.Soc.Press,
May 1991.

{\bf Toroidal Neural Network Processor}\\
S.Jones, K.Sammut, C.Nielsen, and J.Staunstrup.\\
Toroidal Neural Network: Architecture and Processor Granularity
Issues.\\
In {\it VLSI design of Neural Networks}, pages 229-254, June 1990.

{\bf SMART and SuperNode}
P. Bessi`ere, A. Chams, and P. Chol. 
MENTAL : A virtual machine approach to artificial neural networks 
programming. In NERVES, ESPRIT B.R.A. project no 3049, 1991. 


\subsubsection{Standard Computers}

{\bf EMMA-2}\\
R.Battiti, L.M.Briano, R.Cecinati, A.M.Colla, and P.Guido.\\
An application oriented development environment for Neural Net models on
multiprocessor Emma-2.\\
In {\it Silicon Architectures for Neural Nets; Proceedings for the IFIP
WG.10.5 Workshop}, pages 31-43. North Holland, November 1991. 
ISBN: 0-4448-9113-7.

{\bf iPSC/860 Hypercube}\\
D.Jackson, and D.Hammerstrom\\
Distributing Back Propagation Networks Over the Intel iPSC/860
Hypercube}\\ 
In {\it IJCNN91-Seattle: International Joint Conference on Neural
Networks}, volume 1, pages 569-574. IEEE Comput. Soc. Press, July 1991.
ISBN: 0-7083-0164-1.

{\bf SCAP -- Systolic/Cellular Array Processor}\\
Wei-Ling L., V.K.Prasanna, and K.W.Przytula.\\
Algorithmic Mapping of Neural Network Models onto Parallel SIMD
Machines.\\
In {\it IEEE Transactions on Computers}, 40(12), pages 1390-1401,
December 1991. ISSN: 0018-9340.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's all folks (End of the Neural Network FAQ).

Acknowledgements: Thanks to all the people who helped to get the stuff
                  above into the posting. I cannot name them all, because
                  I would make far too many errors then. :->

                  No?  Not good?  You want individual credit?
                  OK, OK. I'll try to name them all. But: no guarantee....

  THANKS FOR HELP TO:
(in alphabetical order of email adresses, I hope)
Bye

  Lutz
Previous part is part 6.

Neural network FAQ / Lutz Prechelt, prechelt@ira.uka.de