# Integer-State Dynamics of Quantized Spiking Neural Networks for Efficient Hardware Acceleration

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.01042 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.01042/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 8 of its 30 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 1 Apr 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 8 of 8)

- [XNOR-Net: ImageNet Classification Using Binary Convolutional Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1603.05279/) (2016)
- [Surrogate Gradient Learning in Spiking Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.09948/) (2019)
- [BinaryConnect: Training Deep Neural Networks with binary weights during propagations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1511.00363/) (2015)
- [Efficient Processing of Deep Neural Networks: A Tutorial and Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.09039/) (2017)
- [Quantized Neural Networks: Training Neural Networks with Low Precision Weights and Activations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.07061/) (2016)
- [A Survey of Neuromorphic Computing and Neural Networks in Hardware](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.06963/) (2017)
- [Convolutional Networks for Fast, Energy-Efficient Neuromorphic Computing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1603.08270/) (2016)
- [Memory and information processing in neuromorphic systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1506.03264/) (2015)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) support energy-efficient machine intelligence because event-driven computation and sparse activity map naturally to low-power digital hardware. In practical implementations, however, membrane states, synaptic weights, and thresholds are represented with finite-precision integer arithmetic. Quantization, clipping, and overflow can therefore alter network dynamics, not just approximate a higher-precision model. This paper adopts an integer-state dynamical perspective, modeling a hardware-oriented SNN as a deterministic map on a bounded integer lattice. Under this view, recurrence, periodic orbits, and regime changes become intrinsic properties of the system. We introduce a lightweight update rule with integer-valued states and shift-based leakage, and demonstrate the approach through exploratory simulations with network sizes N = 30-130, connection densities 0.1-0.9, and bit widths 4/8/16 over T = 1000 steps. The results show bounded and recurrent temporal structure with strong quantization sensitivity. The observed regimes depend heavily on representation semantics and scaling choices. These findings suggest that numerical precision acts as a dynamical design variable and highlight integer-state analysis as a useful framework for hardware-aware SNN co-design, motivating future work on attractor analysis, precision-aware training, and FPGA/ASIC validation.