Incorporating inductive biases into ML models is an active area of ML research, especially when ML models are applied to data about the physical world. Equivariant Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) have recently become a popular method for learning from physics data because they directly incorporate the symmetries of the underlying physical system. Drawing from the relevant literature around group equivariant networks, this paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of the proposed benefits of equivariant GNNs by using real-world particle physics reconstruction tasks as an evaluation test-bed. We demonstrate that many of the theoretical benefits generally associated with equivariant networks may not hold for realistic systems and introduce compelling directions for future research that will benefit both the scientific theory of ML and physics applications.

As AI technology advances rapidly, concerns over the risks of bigness in digital markets are also growing. The EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) aims to address these risks. Still, the current framework may not adequately cover generative AI systems that could become gateways for AI-based services. This paper argues for integrating certain AI software as core platform services and classifying certain developers as gatekeepers under the DMA. We also propose an assessment of gatekeeper obligations to ensure they cover generative AI services. As the EU considers generative AI-specific rules and possible DMA amendments, this paper provides insights towards diversity and openness in generative AI services.

Graph neural networks (GNNs) have gained traction in high-energy physics (HEP) for their potential to improve accuracy and scalability. However, their resource-intensive nature and complex operations have motivated the development of symmetry-equivariant architectures. In this work, we introduce EuclidNet, a novel symmetry-equivariant GNN for charged particle tracking. EuclidNet leverages the graph representation of collision events and enforces rotational symmetry with respect to the detector's beamline axis, leading to a more efficient model. We benchmark EuclidNet against the state-of-the-art Interaction Network on the TrackML dataset, which simulates high-pileup conditions expected at the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). Our results show that EuclidNet achieves near-state-of-the-art performance at small model scales (< 1000 parameters), outperforming the non-equivariant benchmarks. This study paves the way for future investigations into more resource-efficient GNN models for particle tracking in HEP experiments.

Composing Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) of operations that respect physical symmetries has been suggested to give better model performance with a smaller number of learnable parameters. However, real-world applications, such as in high energy physics have not born this out. We present the novel architecture VecNet that combines both symmetry-respecting and unconstrained operations to study and tune the degree of physics-informed GNNs. We introduce a novel metric, the \textit{ant factor}, to quantify the resource-efficiency of each configuration in the search-space. We find that a generalized architecture such as ours can deliver optimal performance in resource-constrained applications.

The determination of charged particle trajectories in collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is an important but challenging problem, especially in the high interaction density conditions expected during the future high-luminosity phase of the LHC (HL-LHC). Graph neural networks (GNNs) are a type of geometric deep learning algorithm that has successfully been applied to this task by embedding tracker data as a graph -- nodes represent hits, while edges represent possible track segments -- and classifying the edges as true or fake track segments. However, their study in hardware- or software-based trigger applications has been limited due to their large computational cost. In this paper, we introduce an automated translation workflow, integrated into a broader tool called $\texttt{hls4ml}$, for converting GNNs into firmware for field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). We use this translation tool to implement GNNs for charged particle tracking, trained using the TrackML challenge dataset, on FPGAs with designs targeting different graph sizes, task complexites, and latency/throughput requirements. This work could enable the inclusion of charged particle tracking GNNs at the trigger level for HL-LHC experiments.

Recent work has demonstrated that geometric deep learning methods such as graph neural networks (GNNs) are well suited to address a variety of reconstruction problems in high energy particle physics. In particular, particle tracking data is naturally represented as a graph by identifying silicon tracker hits as nodes and particle trajectories as edges; given a set of hypothesized edges, edge-classifying GNNs identify those corresponding to real particle trajectories. In this work, we adapt the physics-motivated interaction network (IN) GNN toward the problem of particle tracking in pileup conditions similar to those expected at the high-luminosity Large Hadron Collider. Assuming idealized hit filtering at various particle momenta thresholds, we demonstrate the IN's excellent edge-classification accuracy and tracking efficiency through a suite of measurements at each stage of GNN-based tracking: graph construction, edge classification, and track building. The proposed IN architecture is substantially smaller than previously studied GNN tracking architectures; this is particularly promising as a reduction in size is critical for enabling GNN-based tracking in constrained computing environments. Furthermore, the IN may be represented as either a set of explicit matrix operations or a message passing GNN. Efforts are underway to accelerate each representation via heterogeneous computing resources towards both high-level and low-latency triggering applications.

In this community review report, we discuss applications and techniques for fast machine learning (ML) in science -- the concept of integrating power ML methods into the real-time experimental data processing loop to accelerate scientific discovery. The material for the report builds on two workshops held by the Fast ML for Science community and covers three main areas: applications for fast ML across a number of scientific domains; techniques for training and implementing performant and resource-efficient ML algorithms; and computing architectures, platforms, and technologies for deploying these algorithms. We also present overlapping challenges across the multiple scientific domains where common solutions can be found. This community report is intended to give plenty of examples and inspiration for scientific discovery through integrated and accelerated ML solutions. This is followed by a high-level overview and organization of technical advances, including an abundance of pointers to source material, which can enable these breakthroughs.

The Exa.TrkX project has applied geometric learning concepts such as metric learning and graph neural networks to HEP particle tracking. Exa.TrkX's tracking pipeline groups detector measurements to form track candidates and filters them. The pipeline, originally developed using the TrackML dataset (a simulation of an LHC-inspired tracking detector), has been demonstrated on other detectors, including DUNE Liquid Argon TPC and CMS High-Granularity Calorimeter. This paper documents new developments needed to study the physics and computing performance of the Exa.TrkX pipeline on the full TrackML dataset, a first step towards validating the pipeline using ATLAS and CMS data. The pipeline achieves tracking efficiency and purity similar to production tracking algorithms. Crucially for future HEP applications, the pipeline benefits significantly from GPU acceleration, and its computational requirements scale close to linearly with the number of particles in the event.

Machine learning is an important research area in particle physics, beginning with applications to high-level physics analysis in the 1990s and 2000s, followed by an explosion of applications in particle and event identification and reconstruction in the 2010s. In this document we discuss promising future research and development areas in machine learning in particle physics with a roadmap for their implementation, software and hardware resource requirements, collaborative initiatives with the data science community, academia and industry, and training the particle physics community in data science. The main objective of the document is to connect and motivate these areas of research and development with the physics drivers of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider and future neutrino experiments and identify the resource needs for their implementation. Additionally we identify areas where collaboration with external communities will be of great benefit.