SIMPL: A DSL for Automatic Specialization of Inference Algorithms

Understand

Inference algorithms in probabilistic programming languages (PPLs) can be thought of as interpreters, since an inference algorithm traverses a model given evidence to answer a query.

• As with interpreters, we can improve the efficiency of inference algorithms by compiling them once the model, evidence and query are known.
• We present SIMPL, a domain specific language for inference algorithms, which uses this idea in order to automatically specialize annotated inference algorithms.
• Due to the approach of specialization, unlike a traditional compiler, with SIMPL new inference algorithms can be added easily, and still be optimized using domain-specific information.