Types of Network Architectures

Types of Network Architectures

• Neural network architectures differ in various
ways, primarily based on their design, processing
capabilities, and how they handle data flow. The
most significant parameters where these
architectures differ are:
1. Network Layers:
• Single-layer vs. Multi-layer: Cont…
– A single-layer neural network (e.g., Perceptron) has only one layer between the input and output.
– A multi-layer neural network (e.g., Multi-layer Perceptron or MLP) contains multiple hidden layers in
between the input and output layers. More layers allow the network to capture more complex patterns.
2. Data Flow:
– Feedforward Networks (FNN): In these networks, data flows in one direction, from input to output,
without feedback loops.
– Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN): These include feedback loops where the output of a neuron or layer
can influence subsequent inputs. They are suitable for time-series or sequence data (like speech or text).
3. Learning Paradigm:
• Supervised vs. Unsupervised:
– Supervised networks learn from labeled data and use the feedback to adjust weights.
– Unsupervised networks (e.g., Self-Organizing Maps) learn patterns from unlabeled data by clustering
similar data points together.
4. Activation Function:
• The activation function used (e.g., ReLU, Sigmoid, Tanh) influences how the network processes and transforms
the inputs.
– ReLU is used in deeper networks because it helps overcome vanishing gradients and promotes faster
learning.
– Sigmoid and Tanh were commonly used in the past, especially in early neural networks, but they tend to
saturate and cause gradients to vanish.
5. Connection Pattern:
• Fully Connected vs. Partially Connected:
– In a fully connected network (like MLP), every neuron in a layer is connected to every neuron in the next
layer.
– In convolutional networks (CNNs), only a subset of neurons are connected based on the local receptive
field, which helps reduce the computational load for image data.
6. Learning Techniques: Cont…
– Backpropagation: Most neural networks, including MLPs and CNNs, use backpropagation to adjust weights
during training based on the error.
– Reinforcement Learning: In some architectures (like deep reinforcement learning), networks learn by
interacting with the environment and receiving feedback from actions taken.
7. Network Purpose/Task:
– Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs): Specifically designed for image processing and computer vision
tasks. They use convolutional layers to detect patterns or features.
– Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs): Best for sequential data like time series, text, and speech, due to their
ability to maintain internal states (memory).
– Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs): Used for generating data (like images or text) by pitting two
networks against each other (generator and discriminator).
– Autoencoders: Used for unsupervised learning tasks like dimensionality reduction or anomaly detection.
8. Parallelism and Scaling:
– Distributed Neural Networks: Some architectures are designed to work across multiple machines or GPUs for
large-scale training, especially when datasets are vast.
– Parallelism in CNNs: CNNs often have parallelized operations that are beneficial for large-scale image data
processing.
9. Specific Use Cases:
– Autoencoders are used in tasks such as feature extraction and data compression.
– Transformer Networks (like BERT, GPT) are specialized for natural language processing tasks, using self-
attention mechanisms.
Summary of Key Differentiating Parameters:
– Number of layers (depth of the network)
– Type of data processing (e.g., sequential vs. independent)
– Learning paradigm (supervised vs. unsupervised)
– Activation function used
– The type of connections between layers (fully connected vs. sparse connections)
– Specific application or domain (e.g., image recognition, sequence prediction)
Types of Network Architectures
– Single-Layer Networks
– Multilayer Perceptron Networks (MLP)
– Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN)
 RNN
Both Feedback to the Hidden Layer and
Input Layer:
There are architectures where feedback is
provided to both the hidden layer and the input
layer. This can enhance the network's ability to
capture complex temporal dependencies and
improve performance on certain tasks.
1. Feedforward Neural Networks (FNN)
• The simplest type, where information moves in one direction (input → hidden layers → output).
• No loops or cycles.
• Used in classification and regression tasks.
• Example: Multilayer Perceptron (MLP)
2. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN)
• Designed for processing grid-like data (e.g., images).
• Uses convolutional layers to detect spatial patterns.
Types of Networks
• Often includes pooling layers for downsampling. in total
• Used in image recognition, object detection, and video analysis.
• Example: AlexNet, VGG, ResNet, EfficientNet
3. Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN)
• Designed for sequential data (e.g., time series, speech, text).
• Has loops allowing information to persist over time.
• Suffers from vanishing gradient problems.
• Used in NLP, speech recognition, and financial forecasting.
• Example: Vanilla RNN
4. Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) & Gated Recurrent Units (GRU)
• Variants of RNNs designed to handle long-term dependencies.
• Use memory cells and gating mechanisms to retain important information.
• Used in speech recognition, machine translation, and text generation.
• Example: LSTM, GRU
5. Transformer Networks
• Uses self-attention mechanisms instead of recurrence.
• Highly parallelizable and efficient for long sequences.
• Used in NLP and large-scale vision tasks.
• Example: BERT, GPT, T5, ViT (Vision Transformer)
6. Autoencoders (AE)
• Unsupervised learning model for dimensionality reduction and feature extraction.
• Encodes input into a compressed representation and then decodes it.
• Used in anomaly detection, data compression, and generative models.
• Example: Variational Autoencoder (VAE), Denoising Autoencoder
7. Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs)
• Consists of two neural networks (generator + discriminator) that compete with each other.
• Used for generating synthetic images, deepfake technology, and data augmentation.
• Example: DCGAN, StyleGAN, CycleGAN
8. Graph Neural Networks (GNNs)
• Designed for graph-structured data (e.g., social networks, molecules).
• Uses message passing to learn node relationships.
• Used in recommendation systems, fraud detection, and drug discovery.
• Example: Graph Convolutional Network (GCN), Graph Attention Network (GAT)
9. Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs)
• Inspired by biological neurons, processes data as discrete events.
• Used in neuromorphic computing and energy-efficient AI systems.
10. Capsule Networks (CapsNet)
• Introduced to address limitations of CNNs.
• Better captures spatial hierarchies in images.
• Used in image recognition tasks.
11. Liquid Neural Networks
• A type of RNN that adapts dynamically to changing inputs.
• Inspired by biological brain functions.
• Used in robotics and time-series prediction.
• Feedforward Networks: A Types of Neural Networks
feedforward neural network is a
simple artificial neural network
architecture in which data
moves from input to output in a
single direction, without cycles
or loops.

Use Cases

• Regression and classification

tasks
• Image recognition
• Spam email detection

When to Use:
When dealing with structured data and tabular datasets.
.

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs)

CNN is Specialized neural
networks designed for processing
structured grid-like data such as
images .

• Use convolutional layers to

extract spatial features.
• Employ pooling layers for
dimensionality reduction

Use Cases
• Image recognition (e.g., object detection,
facial recognition)
• Medical imaging (e.g., tumor detection in
MRI scans) When to Use
• Video analysis When working with images, videos, or
• Text classification (when using 1D spatial data.
convolutions)
Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs)

Neural networks that are designed for

sequential data, where the output of one step
depends on previous steps.

Key Features:
• Utilize feedback connections.
• Memory of previous inputs is stored in
hidden states.

Use Cases
• Time series forecasting
• Natural language processing (e.g., machine
translation, sentiment analysis)
• Speech recognition

When to Use:
When data involves sequences or
temporal patterns.
 Long Short-Term Memory Networks (LSTMs)

A type of RNN that solves

the vanishing gradient
problem by using gates to
control the flow of
information.
Use Cases:
• Long-term dependencies
in sequences (e.g., text
generation, stock price
prediction)
• Video analysis
• Speech synthesis
When to Use:
• When handling long-term dependencies in
sequence data.
 Gated Recurrent Units (GRUs)

A simplified version of
LSTMs that uses fewer
parameters but performs
similarly for many tasks.

Use Cases:
• Similar to LSTMs (speech
recognition, time series
prediction, etc.)

When to Use:
• When computational efficiency
is critical and the dataset size is
small.
 Transformer Networks

Use self-attention mechanisms

to process sequential data
without relying on recurrence.
Use Cases:
• Natural language processing (e.g.,
BERT, GPT models)
• Machine translation
• Text summarization

When to Use:
• For large-scale language models and
long-range dependencies in text.
 Autoencoders
Unsupervised neural networks
that aim to compress and
reconstruct input data.

Use Cases:
• Dimensionality reduction
• Anomaly detection (e.g., in fraud
detection)
• Image denoising

When to Use:
• For data compression, feature
extraction, or anomaly
detection.
 Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs)
Consist of two networks
(generator and discriminator)
that compete with each other
to generate realistic data.
Use Cases:
• Image generation (e.g., creating
art, generating human faces)
• Data augmentation
• Super-resolution

When to Use:
• When generating new samples or
augmenting datasets.
 Graph Neural Networks (GNNs):
Use Graph-based structures to
model relationships between
entities and process non-
Euclidean data efficiently.

Use Cases:
• Social network analysis
• Recommendation systems
• Molecular property prediction
• Fraud detection
When to Use:
• When dealing with graph-structured data
such as social connections, molecular
interactions, or knowledge graphs.
• When relationships between entities play a
crucial role in decision-making.
 Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs)

Use biologically inspired neuron models that

process information through discrete spikes,
enabling energy-efficient and event-driven
computation.

Use Cases:
• Neuromorphic computing
• Real-time sensory processing (e.g., vision
and auditory systems)
• Edge AI and low-power embedded systems
• Brain-computer interfaces

When to Use:
• When energy efficiency and real-time
processing are critical, such as in robotics
and IoT devices.
• When simulating brain-like computation and
spike-based learning mechanisms.
 Capsule Networks (CapsNet)
Use hierarchical capsules to capture spatial relationships between features, improving robustness to
variations in pose and orientation.

Use Cases:
• Image recognition with better spatial awareness
• Handwritten digit and character recognition
• Medical image analysis
• 3D object recognition
When to Use:
• When dealing with images where spatial hierarchies and transformations are important.
• When traditional CNNs struggle with viewpoint variations and part-whole relationships.
 Radial Basis Function Networks (RBFNs)
Neural networks that use
radial basis functions as
activation functions.
Use Cases:
• Function approximation
• Time series prediction
• Control systems

When to Use:
• For interpolation and approximation
problems.
 Modular Neural Networks
• Consist of multiple
independent networks
(modules), each solving a
specific subtask.
• The outputs of these
modules are combined for
the final result.
Use Cases:
• Complex tasks with
multiple subtasks (e.g.,
robotics).

When to Use:
• Reduces complexity and improves training
efficiency.