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Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints

Subject Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints
Newsgroups comp.os.linux.misc
References <YPKdnaTfaLzAq5b6nZ2dnZfqnPidnZ2d@earthlink.com> <veg8cq$k36i$1@dont-email.me>
From "186282@ud0s4.net" <186283@ud0s4.net>
Organization wokiesux
Date 2024-10-15 02:43 -0400
Message-ID <LpScnb7e54pgk5P6nZ2dnZfqn_qdnZ2d@earthlink.com> (permalink)

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On 10/13/24 6:45 AM, Pancho wrote:
> On 10/13/24 03:54, 186282@ud0s4.net wrote:
> 
>> The new technique is basic—instead of using complex
>> floating-point multiplication (FPM), the method uses integer
>> addition. Apps use FPM to handle extremely large or small
>> numbers, allowing applications to carry out calculations
>> using them with extreme precision. It is also the most
>> energy-intensive part of AI number crunching.
>>
> 
> That isn't really true. Floats can handle big and small, but the reason 
> people use them is for simplicity.


   "Simple", usually. Energy/time-efficient ... not so much.


> The problem is that typical integer calculations are not closed, the 
> result is not an integer. Addition is fine, but the result of division 
> is typically not an integer. So if you use integers to model a problem 
> every time you do a division (or exp, log, sin, etc) you need to make a 
> decision about how to force the result into an integer.


   The question is how EXACT the precision HAS to be for
   most "AI" uses. Might be safe to throw away a few
   decimal points at the bottom.


> Floats actually use integral values for exponent and mantissa, but they 
> automatically make ballpark reasonable decisions about how to force the 
> results into integral values for mantissa and exponent, meaning 
> operations are effectively closed (ignoring exceptions).  So the 
> programmer doesn't have to worry, so much.
> 
> Floating point ops are actually quite efficient, much less of a concern 
> than something like a branch misprediction. A 20x speed up (energy 
> saving) sounds close to a theoretical maximum. I would be surprised if 
> it can be achieved in anything but a few cases.

   Well ... the article insists they are NOT energy-efficient,
   esp when performed en-masse. I think their prelim tests
   suggested an almost 95% savings (sometimes).

   Anyway, at least the IDEA is back out there again. We
   old guys, oft dealing with microcontrollers, knew the
   advantages of wider integers over even 'small' FP.

   Math processors disguised the amount of processing
   required for FP ... but it was STILL there.

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Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints "186282@ud0s4.net" <186283@ud0s4.net> - 2024-10-12 22:54 -0400
  Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2024-10-13 10:15 +0100
    Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2024-10-13 13:25 +0100
      Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints Pancho <Pancho.Jones@proton.me> - 2024-10-13 14:23 +0100
        Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2024-10-14 11:16 +0100
          Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2024-10-15 07:10 +1000
            Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2024-10-14 23:47 +0100
          Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints "186282@ud0s4.net" <186283@ud0s4.net> - 2024-10-15 02:31 -0400
            Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2024-10-15 12:03 +0100
              Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints "186282@ud0s4.net" <186283@ud0s4.net> - 2024-10-16 02:54 -0400
    Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints "186282@ud0s4.net" <186283@ud0s4.net> - 2024-10-15 02:30 -0400
      Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints Mike Scott <usenet.16@scottsonline.org.uk.invalid> - 2024-10-15 08:52 +0100
      Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2024-10-15 09:14 +0100
  Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints Pancho <Pancho.Jones@proton.me> - 2024-10-13 11:45 +0100
    Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints "186282@ud0s4.net" <186283@ud0s4.net> - 2024-10-15 02:43 -0400
      Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2024-10-15 12:06 +0100
        Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints "186282@ud0s4.net" <186283@ud0s4.net> - 2024-10-16 02:38 -0400
          Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints Pancho <Pancho.Jones@proton.me> - 2024-10-16 08:23 +0100
          Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2024-10-16 11:56 +0100
            Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints "186282@ud0s4.net" <186283@ud0s4.net> - 2024-10-18 00:20 -0400
              Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2024-10-18 17:34 +0100
                Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints 186282ud0s3 <186283@ud0s4.net> - 2024-10-18 14:12 -0400
                Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2024-10-18 15:56 -0400
                Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2024-10-18 21:06 +0100
      Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2024-10-15 19:20 +0000
        Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2024-10-15 15:46 -0400
          Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2024-10-16 02:35 +0000
            Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints "186282@ud0s4.net" <186283@ud0s4.net> - 2024-10-16 03:13 -0400
              Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2024-10-16 07:40 -0400
                Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2024-10-16 16:16 +0000
                Less politics, more Linux! (was: Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints) vallor <vallor@cultnix.org> - 2024-10-16 16:25 +0000
                Re: Less politics, more Linux! Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2024-10-16 14:24 -0400
                Re: Less politics, more Linux! vallor <vallor@cultnix.org> - 2024-10-16 18:29 +0000
                Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2024-10-16 20:02 +0100
                Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2024-10-16 21:07 +0000
                Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2024-10-17 06:54 -0400
                Re: Well DUH ! AI People Finally Realize They Can Ditch Most Floating-Point for Big Ints The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2024-10-17 13:38 +0100

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