OpenCNN: A Winograd Minimal Filtering Algorithm Implementation in CUDA

Abstract

[Abstract] Improving the performance of the convolution operation has become a key target for High Performance Computing (HPC) developers due to its prevalence in deep learning applied mainly to video processing. The improvement is being pushed by algorithmic and implementation innovations. Algorithmically, the convolution can be solved as it is mathematically enunciated, but other methods allow to transform it into a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) or a GEneral Matrix Multiplication (GEMM). In this latter group, the Winograd algorithm is a state-of-the-art variant that is specially suitable for smaller convolutions. In this paper, we present openCNN, an optimized CUDA C++ implementation of the Winograd convolution algorithm. Our approach achieves speedups of up to 1.76× on Turing RTX 2080Ti and up to 1.85× on Ampere RTX 3090 with respect to Winograd convolution in cuDNN 8.2.0. OpenCNN is released as open-source software.