BiDense: Binarization for Dense Prediction

TL;DR

BiDense introduces a novel binary neural network framework for dense prediction that maintains high accuracy while significantly reducing computational and memory requirements through adaptive binarization and channel-aware bypassing.

Contribution

The paper presents BiDense, a generalized BNN with DAB and CFB techniques, improving dense prediction accuracy and efficiency over prior binary models.

Findings

Achieves comparable accuracy to full-precision models

Reduces memory usage and computational costs significantly

Enhances information retention in binary neural networks

Abstract

Dense prediction is a critical task in computer vision. However, previous methods often require extensive computational resources, which hinders their real-world application. In this paper, we propose BiDense, a generalized binary neural network (BNN) designed for efficient and accurate dense prediction tasks. BiDense incorporates two key techniques: the Distribution-adaptive Binarizer (DAB) and the Channel-adaptive Full-precision Bypass (CFB). The DAB adaptively calculates thresholds and scaling factors for binarization, effectively retaining more information within BNNs. Meanwhile, the CFB facilitates full-precision bypassing for binary convolutional layers undergoing various channel size transformations, which enhances the propagation of real-valued signals and minimizes information loss. By leveraging these techniques, BiDense preserves more real-valued information, enabling more accurate and detailed dense predictions in BNNs. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our framework achieves performance levels comparable to full-precision models while significantly reducing memory usage and computational costs.