Koios 2.0: Open-Source Deep Learning Benchmarks for FPGA Architecture and CAD Research

Abstract

With the prevalence of deep learning (DL) in many applications, researchers are investigating different ways of optimizing FPGA architecture and CAD to achieve better quality-of-results (QoR) on DL-based workloads. In this optimization process, benchmark circuits are an essential component; the QoR achieved on a set of benchmarks is the main driver for architecture and CAD design choices. However, current academic benchmark suites are inadequate, as they do not capture any designs from the DL domain. This work presents the second version of our suite of DL acceleration benchmark circuits for FPGA architecture and CAD research, called Koios. This suite of 40 circuits covers a wide variety of accelerated neural networks, design sizes, implementation styles, abstraction levels, and numerical precisions. These benchmarks include 32 DL designs and 8 synthetic (proxy) benchmarks. The Koios benchmarks are larger, more data parallel, more heterogeneous, more deeply pipelined, and utilize more FPGA architectural features compared to existing open-source benchmarks. This enables researchers to pinpoint architectural inefficiencies for this class of workloads and optimize CAD tools on more representative benchmarks that stress the CAD algorithms in different ways. In this paper, we describe the Koios designs, compare their characteristics to prior FPGA benchmark suites, and present results of running them through the Verilog-to-Routing (VTR) flow using a recent FPGA architecture model. Finally, we present case studies showing how exploration of DL-optimized FPGA architecture and CAD algorithms can be performed using our new benchmark suite.