KA-Conv: Kolmogorov-Arnold Convolutional Networks with Various Basis Functions
May 15, 2024 ยท View on GitHub
Overview
The KA-Conv repository offers implementations of Kolmogorov-Arnold Convolutional Networks (KA-Conv) with different basis functions. This project aims to extend and refine the ConvKAN framework by integrating various activation functions and providing comparative performance metrics.
Installation
Use Pypi package
pip install kaconv
pip install -r requirements.txt
Build from source
git clone https://github.com/XiangboGaoBarry/KA-Conv.git
python -m build
pip install -r requirements.txt
Comparative Results
The following table presents the comparative results of different KA-Conv implementations using various activation functions. Key metrics include accuracy, parameter count, and throughput.
We compare the our results with
- EfficientKANLinear: Implemented as per EfficientKANLinear
- FastKANLinear: Implemented as per FastKANLinear

| Conv Layer | Activation / Basis Functions | Hidden Layers | Accuracy (%) | Parameters (B) | Throughput (image/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nn.Conv2d | nn.relu | [32,32] | 65.75 | 13,162 | 221224 |
| convkan (with efficientKANLinear) | Bspline | [32,32] | 68.55 | 69,332 | 51873 |
| convkan (with FastKANLinear) | RBF | [32,32] | 69.8 | 68,508 | 67265 |
| ka-conv (ours) | BSpline | [32,32] | 68.13 | 65,076 | 8260 |
| ka-conv small (ours) | BSpline | [8,32] | 61.89 | 27,180 | 7988 |
| ka-conv tiny (ours) | BSpline | [8,16] | 60.06 | 14,156 | 8126 |
| ka-conv (ours) | Chebyshev | [32,32] | 63.09 | 65,076 | 94824 |
| ka-conv small (ours) | Chebyshev | [8,32] | 59.33 | 27,180 | 92144 |
| ka-conv tiny (ours) | Chebyshev | [8,16] | 56.79 | 14,156 | 113881 |
| ka-conv (ours) | Fourier | [32,32] | 50.5 | 65,076 | 86398 |
| ka-conv small (ours) | Fourier | [8,32] | 49.38 | 27,180 | 84884 |
| ka-conv tiny (ours) | Fourier | [8,16] | 45.48 | 14,156 | 104428 |
| ka-conv (ours) | Poly | [32,32] | 62.93 | 65,076 | 98335 |
| ka-conv small (ours) | Poly | [8,32] | 58.17 | 27,180 | 97254 |
| ka-conv tiny (ours) | Poly | [8,16] | 57.48 | 14,156 | 127420 |
| ka-conv (ours) | RBF | [32,32] | 69.58 | 65,076 | 100182 |
| ka-conv small (ours) | RBF | [8,32] | 65.81 | 27,180 | 103170 |
| ka-conv tiny (ours) | RBF | [8,16] | 61.95 | 14,156 | 126534 |
Result Analysis
Performance
Currently, with the same hidden layer setups, KA-Conv with RBF and BSpline activations outperform the original nn.Conv2d. However, KA-Conv also adds extra complexity, leading to more parameters and lower throughput. When reducing the number of parameters of the model to the same level as that of the model implemented with nn.Conv2d, the performance of the model implemented with KA-Conv is lower.
Efficiency
KA-Conv has lower throughput than nn.Conv despite that our implementation has +93% acceleration over other implementations.
Upcoming Release
We are comparing the performance of the model on larger datasets and larger models, such as ResNet on ImageNet. The results will be released soon.
Acknowledgements
This model is built upon FastKAN. We extend our gratitude to the creators of the original KAN for their pioneering work in this field.