Operators Compile

Q: When the ops.concat operator is used, the error message Error:Input and (output + workspace) num should <=192! is displayed, which indicating that the data volume is large. What can I do?

A: The shape of the ops.concat operator is too large. You are advised to set the output to numpy when creating an iterator for the dataset object. The setting is as follows:

gallaryloader.create_dict_iterator(output_numpy=True)

In the post-processing phase (in a non-network calculation process, that is, in a non-construct function), numpy can be directly used for computation. For example, numpy.concatenate is used to replace the ops.concat for computation.


Q: In the construct function of the static graph mode, how do I remove all negative values contained in a tensor?

A: You are advised to use the ops.clip_by_value interface to change all negative numbers to 0 for computation.


Q: What is the function of the TransData operator? Can the performance be optimized?

A: The TransData operator is used in the scenario where the data formats (such as NC1HWC0) used by interconnected operators on the network are inconsistent. In this case, the framework automatically inserts the TransData operator to convert the data formats into the same format and then performs computation. Huawei Ascend supports 5D format operations, and uses the transdata operator to convert data from 4D to 5D to improve performance.


Q: An error occurs when the Concat operator concatenates tuples containing multiple tensors. An error occurs when the number of tensor list elements entered is greater than or equal to 192. What is a better solution (running in dynamic mode) for Concat to concatenate tuples containing multiple Tensors?

A: The number of tensors to be concatenated at a time cannot exceed 192 according to the bottom-layer specifications of the Ascend operator. You can try to concatenate them twice.


Q: When Conv2D is used to define convolution, the group parameter is used. Is it necessary to ensure that the value of group can be exactly divided by the input and output dimensions? How is the group parameter transferred?

A: The Conv2d operator has the following constraint: When the value of group is greater than 1, the value must be the same as the number of input and output channels. Do not use ops.Conv2D. Currently, this operator does not support a value of group that is greater than 1. Currently, only the nn.Conv2d API of MindSpore supports group convolution. However, the number of group must be the same as the number of input and output channels.


Q: Does MindSpore support matrix transposition?

A: Yes. For details, see mindspore.ops.Transpose.


Q: Can MindSpore calculate the variance of any tensor?

A: Currently, MindSpore does not have APIs or operators which can directly calculate the variance of a tensor.


Q: Compared with PyTorch, the nn.Embedding layer lacks the padding operation. Can other operators implement this operation?

A: In PyTorch, padding_idx is used to set the word vector in the padding_idx position in the embedding matrix to 0, and the word vector in the padding_idx position is not updated during backward propagation. In MindSpore, you can manually initialize the weight corresponding to the padding_idx position of embedding to 0. In addition, the loss corresponding to padding_idx is filtered out through the mask operation during training.


Q: When the Tile operator in operations executes __infer__, the value is None. Why is the value lost?

A: The multiples input of the Tile operator must be a constant (The value cannot directly or indirectly come from the input of the graph). Otherwise, the None data will be obtained during graph composition because the graph input is transferred only during graph execution and the input data cannot be obtained during graph composition. For the detailed imformation, refer to Static Graph Syntax Support.


Q: When conv2d is set to (3,10), Tensor [2,2,10,10] and it runs on Ascend on ModelArts, the error message FM_W+pad_left+pad_right-KW>=strideW is displayed. However, no error message is displayed when it runs on a CPU. What should I do?

A: TBE (Tensor Boost Engine) operator is Huawei’s self-developed Ascend operator development tool, which is extended on the basis of the TVM framework to develop custom operators. The above problem is the limitation of this TBE operator, and the width of x must be greater than the width of the kernel. The CPU operator does not have this restriction, so no error is reported.


Q: Has MindSpore implemented the anti-pooling operation similar to nn.MaxUnpool2d?

A: Currently, MindSpore does not provide anti-pooling APIs but you can customize the operator to implement the operation. For details, refer to Customize Operators.


Q: What should I do if other operations can not be performed on Ascend environment when training a model？

A: It may because the computer recourses if fulled when operators compilation. Try to use the environment variable MS_BUILD_PROCESS_NUM to reduce the parallel number of operator compilation. For specific configuration instructions, see Environment Variables.


Q: The performance of some operators can not up to standard even though tuned by the operator tuning tool, what should I do？

A: In this case,

  1. Make sure if these operators are fusion operators, and then suing the environment variable export MS_DEV_DISABLE_PREBUILD=True to close the operator fusion. The operator pre-compiling may change the value of operator’s attribute fusion_type, the attr will affect the fusion of operator. The performance of the fused operator is not necessarily better than that of small operator.

  2. If these operators are not fusion operators, using the environment variable MS_COMPILER_OP_LEVEL to generate the operator debug info, and then ask the operator developer for help. For specific configuration instructions, see Environment Variables.


Q: What can I do if the error message Pynative run op ExpandDims failed is displayed when the ExpandDims operator is used? The code is as follows:

set_context(mode=GRAPH_MODE,device_target='Ascend')
input_tensor=Tensor(np.array([[2,2],[2,2]]),mindspore.float32)
expand_dims=ops.ExpandDims()
output=expand_dims(input_tensor,0)

A: The problem is that the Graph mode is selected but the PyNative mode is used. As a result, an error is reported. MindSpore supports the following running modes which are optimized in terms of debugging or running:

  • PyNative mode: dynamic graph mode. In this mode, operators in the neural network are delivered and executed one by one, facilitating the compilation and debugging of the neural network model.

  • Graph mode: static graph mode or graph mode. In this mode, the neural network model is compiled into an entire graph and then delivered for execution. This mode uses technologies such as graph optimization to improve the running performance and facilitates large-scale deployment and cross-platform running.


Q: Ascend backend error: AI CORE and AI CPU can not find a valid kernel info when the Kernel Select Failed, how to locate?

A: The Ascend backend operators can be divided into AI CORE operators and AI CPU operators. Some operators are supported by AI CORE, some operators are supported by AI CPU, and some operators are supported by AI CORE and AI CPU at the same time. According to the error message:

  1. If the AI CORE operator’s candidates list is empty, it may be that all operator information failed to pass the verification in the check support stage. You can search the keyword CheckSupport in the log to find the reason for the failure. Modify the shape or data type according to the specific information, or ask the developer to further locate the problem.

  2. If the AI CPU candidate operator information is not empty, or the candidate operator information of AI CORE and AI CPU are both not empty, it may be that the given input data type was not in the candidate list and was filtered out in the selection stage. Try to modify the input data type of the operator according to the candidate list.

You can select a proper mode and writing method to complete the training by referring to the official website tutorial.