Convolutional neural network (CNN) offers significant accuracy in image detection. To implement image detection using CNN in the internet of things (IoT) devices, a streaming hardware accelerator is proposed. The proposed accelerator optimizes the energy efficiency by avoiding unnecessary data movement. With unique filter decomposition technique, the accelerator can support arbitrary convolution window size. In addition, max pooling function can be computed in parallel with convolution by using separate pooling unit, thus achieving throughput improvement. A prototype accelerator was implemented in TSMC 65nm technology with a core size of 5mm2. The accelerator can support major CNNs and achieve 152GOPS peak throughput and 434GOPS/W energy efficiency at 350mW, making it a promising hardware accelerator for intelligent IoT devices.
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