Secure neural network inference (SNNI) enables the use of deep neural networks in scenarios involving multiple stakeholders, protecting the confidentiality of client data and of the neural network’s parameters. The cryptographic techniques used introduce high computational overhead, leading to significant energy consumption. Reducing the energy consumption of SNNI is thus an important objective. A prerequisite for energy optimization is the ability to profile the energy consumption of SNNI. However, this is challenging due to the complexity of the cryptographic techniques, neural networks, and technical setup involved. This paper is the first to propose an energy profiling approach for SNNI. Our approach measures the energy consumption for securely processing individual layers of the neural network, thus providing fine-grained insights into the energy profile of SNNI. We evaluate our approach using the ResNet50 neural network and the Cheetah SNNI framework. Our results show that we can reliably measure the energy consumption of individual layers. By introducing short periods of inactivity between layers to disentangle them, we achieve high correlation between execution time and energy consumption, suggesting that, under appropriate conditions, execution time may be used as a proxy for energy consumption. Our approach and insights can foster the design of more energy-efficient SNNI protocols.

In recent years, several normative systems have been presented in the literature. Relying on formal methods, these systems support the encoding of legal rules into machine-readable formats, enabling, e.g. to check whether a certain workflow satisfies or agents abide by these rules. However, not all rules can be easily expressed (see for instance the unclear boundaries between tax planning and tax avoidance). The paper introduces a framework for norm identification and norm induction that automates the formalization of norms about non-compliant behavior by exploring the behavioral space via simulation, and integrating inputs from humans via active learning. The proposed problem formulation sets also a bridge between AI & law and more general branches of AI concerned by the adaptation of artificial agents to human directives.

With the uptake of digital services in public and private sectors, the formalization of laws is attracting increasing attention. Yet, non-compliant fraudulent behaviours (money laundering, tax evasion, etc.)—practical realizations of violations of law—remain very difficult to formalize, as one does not know the exact formal rules that define such violations. The present work introduces a methodological framework aiming to discover non-compliance through compressed representations of behaviour, considering a fraudulent agent that explores via simulation the space of possible non-compliant behaviours in a given social domain. The framework is founded on a combination of utility maximization and active learning. We illustrate its application on a simple social domain. The results are promising, and seemingly reduce the gap on fundamental questions in AI and Law, although this comes at the cost of developing complex models of the simulation environment, and sophisticated reasoning models of the fraudulent agent.

This paper presents current results and ongoing work to develop effective educational courses on the Big Data (BD) and Data Intensive Science and Technologies (DIST) that is been done at the University of Amsterdam in cooperation with KPMG and by the Laureate Online Education (online partner of the University of Liverpool). The paper introduces the main Big Data concepts: multicomponent Big Data definition and Big Data Architecture Framework that provide the basis for defining the course structure and Common Body of Knowledge for Data Science and Big Data technology domains. The paper presents details on approach, learning model, and course content for two courses at the Laureate Online Education/University of Liverpool and at the University of Amsterdam. The paper also provides background information about existing initiatives and activities related to information exchange and coordination on developing educational materials and programs on Big Data, Data Science, and Research Data Management.

Abstract Grid computing promises access to large amounts of computing power, but so far adoption of Grid computing has been limited to highly specialized experts for three reasons. First, users are used to batch systems, and interfaces to Grid software are often complex and different to those in batch systems. Second, users are used to having transparent file access, which Grid software does not conveniently provide. Third, efforts to achieve wide‐spread coordination of computers while solving the first two problems is hampered when clusters are on private networks. Here we bring together a variety of software that allows users to almost transparently use Grid resources as if they were local resources while providing transparent access to files, even when private networks intervene. As a motivating example, the BaBar Monte Carlo production system is deployed on a truly distributed environment, the European DataGrid, without any modification to the application itself. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sharing data and storage space in a distributed system remains a difficult task for ordinary users, who are constrained to the fixed abstractions and resources provided by administrators. To remedy this situation, we introduce the concept of a tactical storage system (TSS) that separates storage abstractions from storage resources, leaving users free to create, reconfigure, and destroy abstractions as their needs change. In this paper, we describe how a TSS can provide a variety of filesystem and database abstractions for unmodified applications without requiring special privileges or kernel changes. A TSS provides performance competitive with NFS for single clients and also scales well for multiple servers and multiple clients. A prototype TSS of 120 disks and 6 TB of storage has been deployed at the University of Notre Dame and used for applications in high energy physics and bioinformatics.