# HGQ-LUT: Fast LUT-Aware Training and Efficient Architectures for DNN Inference

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.22293 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.22293/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 23 of its 40 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 24 Apr 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 23 of 23)

- [Adam: A Method for Stochastic Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1412.6980/) (2014)
- [Automatic heterogeneous quantization of deep neural networks for low-latency inference on the edge for particle detectors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.10159/) (2020)
- [hls4ml: An Open-Source Codesign Workflow to Empower Scientific Low-Power Machine Learning Devices](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.05579/) (2021)
- [LogicNets: Co-Designed Neural Networks and Circuits for Extreme-Throughput Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.03021/) (2020)
- [Compressing deep neural networks on FPGAs to binary and ternary precision with HLS4ML](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.06308/) (2020)
- [Differentiable Weightless Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.11112/) (2024)
- [LUTNet: Learning FPGA Configurations for Highly Efficient Neural Network Inference](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.12625/) (2019)
- [NeuraLUT: Hiding Neural Network Density in Boolean Synthesizable Functions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.00849/) (2024)
- [TreeLUT: An Efficient Alternative to Deep Neural Networks for Inference Acceleration Using Gradient Boosted Decision Trees](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.01511/) (2025)
- [NeuraLUT-Assemble: Hardware-aware Assembling of Sub-Neural Networks for Efficient LUT Inference](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.00592/) (2025)
- [KANEL'E: Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks for Efficient LUT-based Evaluation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.12850/) (2025)
- [LL-GNN: Low Latency Graph Neural Networks on FPGAs for High Energy Physics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.14065/) (2022)
- [Ultrafast jet classification on FPGAs for the HL-LHC](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.01876/) (2024)
- [PolyLUT-Add: FPGA-based LUT Inference with Wide Inputs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.04910/) (2024)
- [HGQ: High Granularity Quantization for Real-time Neural Networks on FPGAs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.00645/) (2024)
- [PolyLUT: Ultra-low Latency Polynomial Inference with Hardware-Aware Structured Pruning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.08043/) (2025)
- [da4ml: Distributed Arithmetic for Real-time Neural Networks on FPGAs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.04535/) (2025)
- [FPGA Resource-aware Structured Pruning for Real-Time Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.05170/) (2023)
- [ReducedLUT: Table Decomposition with "Don't Care" Conditions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.18579/) (2024)
- [Sub-microsecond Transformers for Jet Tagging on FPGAs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.24784/) (2025)
- [MetaML-Pro: Cross-Stage Design Flow Automation for Efficient Deep Learning Acceleration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.05850/) (2025)
- [LUT-LLM: Efficient Large Language Model Inference with Memory-based Computations on FPGAs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.06174/) (2025)
- [JetFormer: A Scalable and Efficient Transformer for Jet Tagging from Offline Analysis to FPGA Triggers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.17215/) (2026)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [FQTree: Fine-grained Quantization and Hardware Generation of Boosted Decision Trees](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.12140/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Lookup-table (LUT) based neural networks can deliver ultra-low latency and excellent hardware efficiency on FPGAs by mapping arithmetic operations directly onto the logic primitives. However, state-of-the-art LUT-aware training (LAT) approaches remain difficult to use in practice: they are often orders of magnitude slower to train than conventional networks, require non-trivial manual tuning for hardware efficiency, and lack an end-to-end workflow. This work presents HGQ-LUT, integrated in https://github.com/calad0i/HGQ2, a new LAT approach that achieves state-of-the-art hardware efficiency while accelerating training by over 100 times on modern GPUs. HGQ-LUT introduces LUT-Dense and LUT-Conv layers that are implemented with regular, accelerator-efficient tensor operations during training, which are then compiled into logic LUTs for hardware. By combining these layers with fine-grained, element-wise heterogeneous quantization (including zero-bit pruning) and a LUT-aware resource surrogate, HGQ-LUT enables the automatic exploration of accuracy-resource trade-offs without manual bit-width tuning. We further integrate HGQ-LUT into open-source toolchains, enabling unified design, compilation, and bit-exact verification of hybrid architectures that mix LUT-based with conventional arithmetic blocks. These features make LAT-based DNNs practical for real-world deployment, such as at the CERN Large Hadron Collider's experiments.
