Load and Convert Model Workflow#

The typical conversion process with the Unified Conversion API is to load the model to infer its type, and then use the convert() method to convert it to the Core ML format. Follow these steps:

  1. Import coremltools (as ct for the following code snippets), and load a TensorFlow or PyTorch model.

    import coremltools as ct

# Load TensorFlow model
import tensorflow as tf # Tf 2.2.0

tf_model = tf.keras.applications.MobileNet()

    import coremltools as ct

# Load PyTorch model (and perform tracing)
torch_model = torchvision.models.mobilenet_v2()
torch_model.eval() 

example_input = torch.rand(1, 3, 256, 256)
traced_model = torch.jit.trace(torch_model, example_input)

  2. Convert the TensorFlow or PyTorch model using convert():

    # Convert using the same API
model_from_tf = ct.convert(tf_model)

    # Convert using the same API. Note that we need to provide "inputs" for pytorch conversion.
model_from_torch = ct.convert(traced_model,
							  inputs=[ct.TensorType(name="input", 
													shape=example_input.shape)])

The conversion produces an MLModel object which you can use to make predictions, change metadata, or save to the Core ML format for use in Xcode.

By default, older versions of the Unified Conversion API create a neural network, but you can use the convert_to parameter to specify the mlprogram model type for an ML program model:

# Convert using the same API
model_from_tf = ct.convert(tf_model, convert_to="mlprogram")

# Convert using the same API. Note that we need to provide "inputs" for pytorch conversion.
model_from_torch = ct.convert(traced_model,
							  convert_to="mlprogram",
                              inputs=[ct.TensorType(name="input", 
                                                    shape=example_input.shape)])

Since the neuralnetwork format is widely available, it is still the default format produced by versions of the Unified Conversion API older than 7.0. However, in 7.0 and newer versions, the convert() method produces an mlprogram by default with the iOS15/macOS12 deployment target. You can override this behavior by providing a minimum_deployment_target or convert_to value.

For more information, see the MLModel Overview.

Conversion Options

The convert() method tries to infer as much as possible from the source network, but some information may not be present, such as input names, types, shapes, and classifier options. For more information see Conversion Options.

Convert From TensorFlow 2#

TensorFlow 2 models are typically exported as tf.Model objects in the SavedModel or HDF5 file formats. For additional TensorFlow formats you can convert, see TensorFlow 2 Workflow.

The following example demonstrates how to use the convert() method to convert an Xception model from tf.keras.applications:

import coremltools as ct 
import tensorflow as tf

# Load from .h5 file
tf_model = tf.keras.applications.Xception(weights="imagenet", 
                                          input_shape=(299, 299, 3))

# Convert to Core ML
model = ct.convert(tf_model)

Convert From TensorFlow 1#

The conversion API can also convert models from TensorFlow 1. These models are generally exported with the extension .pb, in the frozen protobuf file format, using TensorFlow 1’s freeze graph utility. You can pass this model directly into the convert() method. For details, see TensorFlow 1 Workflow.

The following example demonstrates how to convert a pre-trained MobileNet model in the frozen protobuf format to Core ML.

Download for the Following Example

To run the following example, first download this pre-trained model.

import coremltools as ct

# Convert a frozen graph from TensorFlow 1 to Core ML
mlmodel = ct.convert("mobilenet_v1_1.0_224/frozen_graph.pb")

The MobileNet model in the previous example already has a defined input shape, so you do not need to provide it. However, in some cases the TensorFlow model does not contain a fully defined input shape. You can pass an input shape that is compatible with the model into the convert() method in order to provide the shape information, as shown in the following example.

Download for the Following Example

To run the following example, first download this pre-trained model.

import coremltools as ct

# Needs additional shape information
mlmodel = ct.convert("mobilenet_v2_1.0_224_frozen.pb",
                    inputs=[ct.TensorType(shape=(1, 224, 224, 3))])

Convert from PyTorch#

You can convert PyTorch models that are either traced or in already the TorchScript format. For example, you can convert a model obtained using PyTorch’s save and load APIs to Core ML using the same Unified Conversion API as the previous example:

import coremltools as ct
import torch
import torchvision

# Get a pytorch model and save it as a *.pt file
model = torchvision.models.mobilenet_v2()
model.eval()
example_input = torch.rand(1, 3, 224, 224)
traced_model = torch.jit.trace(model, example_input)
traced_model.save("torchvision_mobilenet_v2.pt")

# Convert the saved PyTorch model to Core ML
mlmodel = ct.convert("torchvision_mobilenet_v2.pt",
                    inputs=[ct.TensorType(shape=(1, 3, 224, 224))])

For more details on tracing and scripting to produce PyTorch models for conversion, see Converting from PyTorch.

Set the Compute Units#

Normally you convert a model by using convert() without using the compute_units parameter. In most cases you don’t need it, because the converter picks the default optimized path for fast execution while loading the model. The default setting (ComputeUnit.ALL) uses all compute units available, including the Neural Engine (NE), the CPU, and the graphics processing unit (GPU). Whether you are using ML programs or neural networks, the defaults for conversion and prediction are picked to execute the model in the most performant way, as described in Typed Execution.

However, you may find it useful, especially for debugging, to specify the actual compute units when converting or loading a model by using the compute_units parameter. The parameter is based on the MLComputeUnits enumeration in the Swift developer language — compute units are employed when loading a Core ML model, taking in MLmodelConfiguration which includes compute units. Therefore, both the MLModel class and convert() provide the compute_units parameter.

The compute_units parameter can have the following values:

  • coremltools.ComputeUnit.CPU_ONLY: Limit the model to use only the CPU.

  • coremltools.ComputeUnit.CPU_AND_GPU: Use both the CPU and GPU, but not the NE.

  • coremltools.ComputeUnit.CPU_AND_NE: Use both the CPU and NE, but not the GPU.

  • coremltools.ComputeUnit.ALL: The default setting uses all compute units available, including the NE, CPU, and GPU.

For example, the following converts the model and sets the compute_units to CPU only:

model = ct.convert(tf_model, compute_units=ct.ComputeUnit.CPU_ONLY)

For details on how to use this parameter with neural networks, see Neural Network Untyped Tensors. For details on using it with ML programs, see ML Program Typed Tensors.