Phase State Space Models: Parallel, Surrogate-Free Training of Spiking Networks

📅 2026-08-07
📈 Citations: 0
Influential: 0
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🤖 AI Summary
This work addresses the challenges of parallel training and reliance on surrogate gradients in spiking neural networks by proposing a novel resonator-and-fire neural architecture grounded in the state space model framework. The approach unifies the processing of both real-valued and spiking inputs and, for the first time, integrates state space models with resonator-and-fire neurons, enabling efficient parallel training without surrogate gradients while preserving biological plausibility. By incorporating short-time Fourier transforms, recurrent memory, and attention mechanisms, the architecture supports both parallel and sequential execution and establishes a clear connection to hyperdimensional computing, thereby offering a new paradigm for efficient learning in spiking neural networks.
📝 Abstract
State-space models (SSMs) provide a powerful theoretical framework to enable parallel training of recurrent networks. We expand on previous work adapting SSMs to spiking models to provide a novel interpretation of resonate-and-fire (R\&F) neural networks which is compatible both with real and spiking inputs, parallel and recurrent execution, has clear connections to hyperdimensional (HD) computing, and maintains biologically-realistic features. We demonstrate an implementation of this approach which integrates an STFT, recurrent memory, and attentional features within a single spike-compatible network.
Problem

Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.

spiking networks
parallel training
state-space models
resonate-and-fire
surrogate-free
Innovation

Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.

State-Space Models
Spiking Neural Networks
Resonate-and-Fire
Parallel Training
Surrogate-Free
W
Wilkie Olin-Ammentorp
Argonne National Laboratory, USA