Keras backend

[fchollet]

I wasn't sure how to contact anyone working on CNTK, so I'm opening an issue here.
I was reading this comment:

https://github.com/Microsoft/CNTK/blob/9d6345b2fa794c38b4f02f71631ea71401b97362/Tests/EndToEndTests/Speech/QuickE2E/cntk.cntk#L26

# This version shows an experimental function-composition based approach to network declaration, similar to Keras.

Would there be any interest on your part in developing a CNTK backend for Keras? I know that quite a few Keras users are on Windows, and they are relying on Theano as a backend for now. But being able to build models in Python with the Keras API and run them using CNTK could be a game-changer for many windows-using deep learning practitioners. Lots of Keras+Windows users would switch.

Thoughts?

[jeanfad]

Hi François,

We definitely have interest in developing a CNTK Keras backend, it is actually part of our plans. We are now working on the Python API for CNTK v2, and we plan to build on top of it a Keras backend.

Please find below a list of people involved in CNTK v2:
Willi Richert
Amit Agarwal
Frank Seide
Clemens Marschner
My self

Best Regards,
Jean Baptiste

[fchollet]

Sounds great! Let me know if you need any help in the future.

[jeanfad]

Thanks, we will !

[fcivardi]

I agree that it will be really a game-changer for Windows users. I started learning deeplearning (!) with Keras on Theano, because it's really easy to make experiments there. Now, Keras can work on Tensorflow for Linux users, but Windows users?
Btw, thank you for Keras, Francois!
fc (Francesco Civardi)

[wangdelp]

That's really useful.
Jean Baptiste Faddoul (@jeanfad) what's the major difference between CNTK V2 vs V1? I am trying to add some new ops based on current ops available in CNTK python interface, is it better to use CNTK V2 or V1? Thank you.

[frankseide]

CNTK V2. It's an evolution of V1, V1 longer exists as a separate thing.

[oak-tree]

Hey!
Any updates on CNTK as backend for keras?
Thanks!

+1, really interested in this! 👍

[leo-gan]

IMHO, absence of Keras support is very-very bad for CNTK. It's the first priority issue!

[fcivardi]

Any news about Keras support?

[teochenglim]

+1 cntk Keras on Windows and Linux

[JulesVerny]

Don't we [I would prefer] mean a Keras Front end API, being much simpler than CNTK, with CNTK back end. Personally my ideal would be a C# Keras API front end to NN networks, so I could integrate NN technology into system solutions.

[josaum]

Any news about Keras support?