Announcing TensorFlow 1.5

Laurence Moroney, Developer Advocate
4 min readintermediate
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Overview

TensorFlow 1.5 introduces several new features, including Eager Execution, TensorFlow Lite for mobile devices, and GPU acceleration updates. This release aims to enhance the development experience and performance for machine learning applications.

What You'll Learn

1

How to enable Eager Execution in TensorFlow for immediate operation execution

2

How to convert TensorFlow models for mobile using TensorFlow Lite

3

How to utilize GPU acceleration in TensorFlow 1.5 with CUDA 9 and cuDNN 7

Prerequisites & Requirements

  • Basic understanding of TensorFlow operations
  • Installation of CUDA 9 and cuDNN 7 for GPU acceleration(optional)

Key Questions Answered

What new features are introduced in TensorFlow 1.5?
TensorFlow 1.5 introduces Eager Execution for immediate operation execution, TensorFlow Lite for mobile device compatibility, and built-in support for CUDA 9 and cuDNN 7 for GPU acceleration. These features enhance usability and performance for developers.
How does Eager Execution change the TensorFlow programming model?
Eager Execution allows TensorFlow operations to be executed immediately as they are called from Python, simplifying the programming model and making it more intuitive for developers, especially during the research and development phases.
What is TensorFlow Lite and how is it used?
TensorFlow Lite is a lightweight solution for mobile and embedded devices that allows developers to convert trained TensorFlow models into .tflite files. This enables on-device execution of machine learning models without needing cloud connectivity.
What are the GPU acceleration updates in TensorFlow 1.5?
TensorFlow 1.5 includes built-in support for CUDA 9 and cuDNN 7, allowing users to leverage GPU acceleration on Windows and Linux. This enhances performance for deep learning tasks by utilizing NVIDIA's GPU capabilities.

Technologies & Tools

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Machine Learning Framework
Tensorflow
Used for building and training machine learning models.
GPU Computing Platform
Cuda
Utilized for GPU acceleration in TensorFlow 1.5.
Gpu-accelerated Library
Cudnn
Provides optimized routines for deep neural networks in TensorFlow 1.5.
Mobile Machine Learning Framework
Tensorflow Lite
Enables deployment of TensorFlow models on mobile and embedded devices.

Key Actionable Insights

1
Enable Eager Execution to streamline your TensorFlow development process.
By using Eager Execution, you can write and debug TensorFlow code more easily, as operations are executed immediately, making it ideal for prototyping and research.
2
Utilize TensorFlow Lite for deploying machine learning models on mobile devices.
TensorFlow Lite allows for efficient on-device inference, which is crucial for applications that require low latency and offline capabilities, enhancing user experience.
3
Take advantage of GPU acceleration to improve training times for deep learning models.
With built-in support for CUDA 9 and cuDNN 7, TensorFlow 1.5 users can significantly reduce training times, making it feasible to experiment with larger models and datasets.

Common Pitfalls

1
Failing to properly configure CUDA and cuDNN can lead to performance issues or errors.
Ensure that your environment is set up correctly with compatible versions of CUDA and cuDNN to take full advantage of GPU acceleration in TensorFlow.

Related Concepts

Eager Execution
Tensorflow Lite
GPU Acceleration
Machine Learning