Demystifying the Evolution of Neural Networks with BOM Analysis: Insights from a Large-Scale Study of 55,997 GitHub Repositories

Neural networks have become integral to many fields due to their exceptional performance. The open-source community has witnessed a rapid influx of neural network (NN) repositories with fast-paced iterations, making it crucial for practitioners to analyze their evolution to guide development and stay ahead of trends. While extensive research has explored traditional software evolution using Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs), these are ill-suited for NN software, which relies on pre-defined modules and pre-trained models (PTMs) with distinct component structures and reuse patterns. Conceptual AI Bills of Materials (AIBOMs) also lack practical implementations for large-scale evolutionary analysis. To fill this gap, we introduce the Neural Network Bill of Material (NNBOM), a comprehensive dataset construct tailored for NN software. We create a large-scale NNBOM database from 55,997 curated PyTorch GitHub repositories, cataloging their TPLs, PTMs, and modules. Leveraging this database, we conduct a comprehensive empirical study of neural network software evolution across software scale, component reuse, and inter-domain dependency, providing maintainers and developers with a holistic view of its long-term trends. Building on these findings, we develop two prototype applications, Multi repository Evolution Analyzer and Single repository Component Assessor and Recommender, to demonstrate the practical value of our analysis.