COMPMID-3510 [Interface change] Fix definition of "axis" in NESoftmaxLayer and CLSoftmaxLayer

* [Interface change] "axis" argument is renamed to "reduce_end_axis"

* Unify the meaning of "axis"(now "reduce_end_axis") to be the last axis
  of the first n dimensions (inclusive)to reduce.
  This way the meaning of reduce_end_axis stays the same for both
  positive and negative values: it selects a dimension before which all
  dimensions (including the selected dimension) are reduced.

Change-Id: I4ab03bd8360b1cd8cac4998df0b1571064a9d4ed
Signed-off-by: SiCong Li <sicong.li@arm.com>
Reviewed-on: https://review.mlplatform.org/c/ml/ComputeLibrary/+/3278
Tested-by: Arm Jenkins <bsgcomp@arm.com>
Reviewed-by: Michele Di Giorgio <michele.digiorgio@arm.com>
Reviewed-by: Georgios Pinitas <georgios.pinitas@arm.com>
Comments-Addressed: Arm Jenkins <bsgcomp@arm.com>

9 files changed, 123 insertions, 97 deletions

diff --git a/tests/validation/CL/LogSoftmaxLayer.cpp b/tests/validation/CL/LogSoftmaxLayer.cpp
index 148613c5f8..39d2483ab8 100644
--- a/tests/validation/CL/LogSoftmaxLayer.cpp
+++ b/tests/validation/CL/LogSoftmaxLayer.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright (c) 2019 ARM Limited.
+ * Copyright (c) 2019-2020 ARM Limited.
  *
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
  *
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ TEST_SUITE(FP16)
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, CLLogSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::DatasetMode::ALL, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerSmallShapes(),
                                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                               framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                      framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2 })))
+                                                                                                      framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, CLLogSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::Data
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, CLLogSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerLargeShapes(),
                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                          framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2 })))
+                                                                                                          framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, CLLogSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::Data
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(Run4D, CLLogSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayer4DShapes(),
                                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                                framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2, 3 })))
+                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1, 2 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ TEST_SUITE(FP32)
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, CLLogSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::ALL, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerSmallShapes(),
                                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                                framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2 })))
+                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, CLLogSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::Dat
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, CLLogSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerLargeShapes(),
                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                           framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2 })))
+                                                                                                           framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, CLLogSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::Dat
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(Run4D, CLLogSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayer4DShapes(),
                                                                                                                         framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                                 framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2, 3 })))
+                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1, 2 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, CLLogSoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<uint8_t>, fra
                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8)),
                                                                                                                   combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                           framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.f }))),
-                                                                                                                  framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2 })))
+                                                                                                                  framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8);
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, CLLogSoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<uint8_t>, fra
                                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8)),
                                                                                                                       combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                               framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f }))),
-                                                                                                                      framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                                      framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8);
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(Run4D, CLLogSoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<uint8_t>, framew
                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8)),
                                                                                                                    combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                            framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f }))),
-                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2, 3 })))
+                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1, 2 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8);
diff --git a/tests/validation/CL/SoftmaxLayer.cpp b/tests/validation/CL/SoftmaxLayer.cpp
index 5ee929f6b9..432720ca14 100644
--- a/tests/validation/CL/SoftmaxLayer.cpp
+++ b/tests/validation/CL/SoftmaxLayer.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright (c) 2017-2019 ARM Limited.
+ * Copyright (c) 2017-2020 ARM Limited.
  *
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
  *
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ DATA_TEST_CASE(Configuration, framework::DatasetMode::ALL, combine(datasets::Sof
 
 // *INDENT-OFF*
 // clang-format off
-DATA_TEST_CASE(Validate, framework::DatasetMode::ALL, zip(zip(
+DATA_TEST_CASE(Validate, framework::DatasetMode::ALL, zip(zip(zip(zip(
                framework::dataset::make("InputInfo", { TensorInfo(TensorShape(27U, 13U), 1, DataType::F32),    // Mismatching data types
                                                        TensorInfo(TensorShape(27U, 13U), 1, DataType::F32),    // Mismatching shapes
                                                        TensorInfo(TensorShape(27U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8, // Invalid output quantization info
@@ -120,6 +120,10 @@ DATA_TEST_CASE(Validate, framework::DatasetMode::ALL, zip(zip(
                                                        TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8,
                                                                   QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, 12)),
                                                        TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8_SIGNED,
+                                                                  QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, 12)),
+                                                       TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8_SIGNED, // Invalid axis high
+                                                                  QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, 12)),
+                                                       TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8_SIGNED, // Invalid axis low
                                                                   QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, 12))
                                                       }),
                framework::dataset::make("OutputInfo",{ TensorInfo(TensorShape(27U, 13U), 1, DataType::F16),
@@ -133,11 +137,38 @@ DATA_TEST_CASE(Validate, framework::DatasetMode::ALL, zip(zip(
                                                                   QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, 0)),
                                                        TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8_SIGNED,
                                                                   QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, -128)),
+                                                       TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8_SIGNED, // Invalid axis high
+                                                                  QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, -128)),
+                                                       TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8_SIGNED, // Invalid axis low
+                                                                  QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, -128)),
                                                      })),
-               framework::dataset::make("Expected", { false, false, false, false, false, true, true, true })),
-               input_info, output_info, expected)
+               framework::dataset::make("beta", { 1.0,
+                                                  2.0,
+                                                  1.0,
+                                                  2.0,
+                                                  1.0,
+                                                  2.0,
+                                                  1.0,
+                                                  2.0,
+                                                  1.0,
+                                                  2.0,
+                                                })),
+               framework::dataset::make("reduce_end_axis", {
+                                                  0,
+                                                  0,
+                                                  0,
+                                                  0,
+                                                  1,
+                                                  0,
+                                                  1,
+                                                  0,
+                                                  2,
+                                                  -1,
+                                                })),
+               framework::dataset::make("Expected", { false, false, false, false, false, true, true, true, false, false })),
+               input_info, output_info, beta, reduce_end_axis, expected)
 {
-    ARM_COMPUTE_EXPECT(bool(CLSoftmaxLayer::validate(&input_info.clone()->set_is_resizable(false), &output_info.clone()->set_is_resizable(false))) == expected, framework::LogLevel::ERRORS);
+    ARM_COMPUTE_EXPECT(bool(CLSoftmaxLayer::validate(&input_info.clone()->set_is_resizable(false), &output_info.clone()->set_is_resizable(false), beta, reduce_end_axis)) == expected, framework::LogLevel::ERRORS);
 }
 // clang-format on
 // *INDENT-ON*
@@ -150,7 +181,7 @@ TEST_SUITE(FP16)
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, CLSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::DatasetMode::ALL, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerSmallShapes(),
                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                            framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2 })))
+                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -158,7 +189,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, CLSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::Dataset
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, CLSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerLargeShapes(),
                                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                                framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2 })))
+                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -166,7 +197,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, CLSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::Dataset
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(Run4D, CLSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayer4DShapes(),
                                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                             framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2, 3 })))
+                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1, 2 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -177,7 +208,7 @@ TEST_SUITE(FP32)
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, CLSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::ALL, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerSmallShapes(),
                                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                             framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2 })))
+                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
@@ -185,7 +216,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, CLSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::Datase
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, CLSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerLargeShapes(),
                                                                                                                         framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                                 framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2 })))
+                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
@@ -193,7 +224,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, CLSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::Datase
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(Run4D, CLSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayer4DShapes(),
                                                                                                                      framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                              framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2, 3 })))
+                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1, 2 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
@@ -210,7 +241,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, CLSoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<uint8_t>, framew
                                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8)),
                                                                                                                        combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                                framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.f }))),
-                                                                                                               framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2 })))
+                                                                                                               framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8);
@@ -219,7 +250,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, CLSoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<uint8_t>, framew
                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8)),
                                                                                                                    combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                            framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f }))),
-                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8);
@@ -228,7 +259,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(Run4D, CLSoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<uint8_t>, framework
                                                                                                                         framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8)),
                                                                                                                         combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                                 framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f }))),
-                                                                                                                framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2, 3 })))
+                                                                                                                framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1, 2 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8);
@@ -242,7 +273,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, CLSoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<int8_t>, framewo
                                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8_SIGNED)),
                                                                                                                       combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                               framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.f }))),
-                                                                                                              framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2 })))
+                                                                                                              framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(CLAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8_signed, tolerance_number_qasymm8_signed);
diff --git a/tests/validation/GLES_COMPUTE/SoftmaxLayer.cpp b/tests/validation/GLES_COMPUTE/SoftmaxLayer.cpp
index 3b55717372..50f6a74313 100644
--- a/tests/validation/GLES_COMPUTE/SoftmaxLayer.cpp
+++ b/tests/validation/GLES_COMPUTE/SoftmaxLayer.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright (c) 2017-2018 ARM Limited.
+ * Copyright (c) 2017-2020 ARM Limited.
  *
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
  *
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ TEST_SUITE(FP16)
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, GCSoftmaxLayerFixture<half_float::half>, framework::DatasetMode::PRECOMMIT, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerSmallShapes(),
                                                                                                                      framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                                      framework::dataset::make("Beta", 1.0f)),
-                                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("Axis", 1)))
+                                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", 0)))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(GCAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, GCSoftmaxLayerFixture<half_float::half>, framew
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, GCSoftmaxLayerFixture<half_float::half>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerLargeShapes(),
                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("Beta", 1.0f)),
-                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("Axis", 1)))
+                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", 0)))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(GCAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ TEST_SUITE(FP32)
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, GCSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::PRECOMMIT, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerSmallShapes(),
                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("Beta", 1.0f)),
-                                                                                                          framework::dataset::make("Axis", 1)))
+                                                                                                          framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", 0)))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(GCAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, GCSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::Datase
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, GCSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerLargeShapes(),
                                                                                                                         framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                                 framework::dataset::make("Beta", 1.0f)),
-                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("Axis", 1)))
+                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", 0)))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(GCAccessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
diff --git a/tests/validation/NEON/LogSoftmaxLayer.cpp b/tests/validation/NEON/LogSoftmaxLayer.cpp
index 43e98ae4ab..22b56fd127 100644
--- a/tests/validation/NEON/LogSoftmaxLayer.cpp
+++ b/tests/validation/NEON/LogSoftmaxLayer.cpp
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ TEST_SUITE(FP16)
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, NELogSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::DatasetMode::PRECOMMIT, combine(combine(combine(datasets::Small4DShapes(),
                                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                            framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                            framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, NELogSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::Data
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall4D, NELogSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::DatasetMode::PRECOMMIT, combine(combine(combine(datasets::Small4DShapes(),
                                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                              framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2, 3 })))
+                                                                                                              framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1, 2 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall4D, NELogSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::Da
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, NELogSoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerLargeShapes(),
                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                          framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                          framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ TEST_SUITE(FP32)
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall2D, NELogSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::PRECOMMIT, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerSmallShapes(),
                                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                               framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                               framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall2D, NELogSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::D
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall4D, NELogSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::PRECOMMIT, combine(combine(combine(datasets::Small4DShapes(),
                                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                               framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2, 3 })))
+                                                                                                               framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1, 2 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall4D, NELogSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::D
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, NELogSoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerLargeShapes(),
                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                           framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                           framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall2D, NELogSoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<uint8_t>, f
                                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8)),
                                                                                                                     combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                             framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.f }))),
-                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8);
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall4D, NELogSoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<uint8_t>, f
                                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8)),
                                                                                                                     combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                             framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.f }))),
-                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2, 3 })))
+                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1, 2 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8);
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, NELogSoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<uint8_t>, fra
                                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8)),
                                                                                                                       combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                               framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f }))),
-                                                                                                                      framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                                      framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8);
diff --git a/tests/validation/NEON/SoftmaxLayer.cpp b/tests/validation/NEON/SoftmaxLayer.cpp
index 8af3847cf8..1465af441b 100644
--- a/tests/validation/NEON/SoftmaxLayer.cpp
+++ b/tests/validation/NEON/SoftmaxLayer.cpp
@@ -73,7 +73,9 @@ DATA_TEST_CASE(Validate, framework::DatasetMode::ALL, zip(zip(zip(zip(
                                                        TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::F32),
                                                        TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8,
                                                                   QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, 12)),
-                                                       TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8,  //Invalid axis value
+                                                       TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8,  //Invalid axis high
+                                                                  QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, 12)),
+                                                       TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8,  //Invalid axis low
                                                                   QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, 12)),
                                                       }),
                framework::dataset::make("OutputInfo",{ TensorInfo(TensorShape(27U, 13U), 1, DataType::F16),
@@ -85,6 +87,8 @@ DATA_TEST_CASE(Validate, framework::DatasetMode::ALL, zip(zip(zip(zip(
                                                                   QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, 0)),
                                                        TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8,
                                                                   QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, 0)),
+                                                       TensorInfo(TensorShape(32U, 13U), 1, DataType::QASYMM8,
+                                                                  QuantizationInfo(1.f/256, 0)),
                                                      })),
                framework::dataset::make("beta", { 1.0,
                                                   2.0,
@@ -94,17 +98,18 @@ DATA_TEST_CASE(Validate, framework::DatasetMode::ALL, zip(zip(zip(zip(
                                                   2.0,
                                                   1.0,
                                                 })),
-               framework::dataset::make("axis", { 1,
-                                                  1,
-                                                  1,
+               framework::dataset::make("reduce_end_axis", { 0,
+                                                  0,
+                                                  0,
                                                   -1,
-                                                  1,
+                                                  0,
+                                                  2,
                                                   -3,
                                                 })),
-               framework::dataset::make("Expected", { false, false, false, true, true, false })),
-               input_info, output_info, beta, axis, expected)
+               framework::dataset::make("Expected", { false, false, false, true, true, false, false })),
+               input_info, output_info, beta, reduce_end_axis, expected)
 {
-    ARM_COMPUTE_EXPECT(bool(NESoftmaxLayer::validate(&input_info.clone()->set_is_resizable(false), &output_info.clone()->set_is_resizable(false), beta, axis)) == expected, framework::LogLevel::ERRORS);
+    ARM_COMPUTE_EXPECT(bool(NESoftmaxLayer::validate(&input_info.clone()->set_is_resizable(false), &output_info.clone()->set_is_resizable(false), beta, reduce_end_axis)) == expected, framework::LogLevel::ERRORS);
 }
 // clang-format on
 // *INDENT-ON*
@@ -118,7 +123,7 @@ TEST_SUITE(FP16)
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, NESoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::DatasetMode::PRECOMMIT, combine(combine(combine(datasets::Small4DShapes(),
                                                                                                                  framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                                  framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                         framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                         framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -126,7 +131,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall, NESoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::Dataset
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall4D, NESoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::DatasetMode::PRECOMMIT, combine(combine(combine(datasets::Small4DShapes(),
                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                           framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2, 3 })))
+                                                                                                           framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1, 2 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -134,7 +139,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall4D, NESoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::Datas
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, NESoftmaxLayerFixture<half>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerLargeShapes(),
                                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F16)),
                                                                                                                framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                       framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f16);
@@ -146,7 +151,7 @@ TEST_SUITE(FP32)
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall2D, NESoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::PRECOMMIT, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerSmallShapes(),
                                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                            framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                            framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
@@ -154,7 +159,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall2D, NESoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::Data
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall4D, NESoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::PRECOMMIT, combine(combine(combine(datasets::Small4DShapes(),
                                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                                     framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                            framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1, 2, 3 })))
+                                                                                                            framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0, 1, 2 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
@@ -162,7 +167,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall4D, NESoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::Data
 FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, NESoftmaxLayerFixture<float>, framework::DatasetMode::NIGHTLY, combine(combine(combine(datasets::SoftmaxLayerLargeShapes(),
                                                                                                                         framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::F32)),
                                                                                                                 framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f })),
-                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                        framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_f32);
@@ -179,7 +184,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall2D, NESoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<uint8_t>, fram
                                                                                                                  framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8)),
                                                                                                                  combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                          framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.f }))),
-                                                                                                                 framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                                 framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8);
@@ -188,7 +193,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall4D, NESoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<uint8_t>, fram
                                                                                                                  framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8)),
                                                                                                                  combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                          framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.f }))),
-                                                                                                                 framework::dataset::make("Axis", { -1, 2, 3 })))
+                                                                                                                 framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { -1, 1, 2 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8);
@@ -197,7 +202,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunLarge, NESoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<uint8_t>, framew
                                                                                                                    framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8)),
                                                                                                                    combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                            framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.0f }))),
-                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("Axis", { 1 })))
+                                                                                                                   framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8);
@@ -209,7 +214,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall2D, NESoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<int8_t>, frame
                                                                                                                         framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8_SIGNED)),
                                                                                                                         combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                                 framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.f }))),
-                                                                                                                framework::dataset::make("Axis", { -1, 1 })))
+                                                                                                                framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { -1, 0 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8_signed);
@@ -218,7 +223,7 @@ FIXTURE_DATA_TEST_CASE(RunSmall4D, NESoftmaxLayerQuantizedFixture<int8_t>, frame
                                                                                                                         framework::dataset::make("DataType", DataType::QASYMM8_SIGNED)),
                                                                                                                         combine(framework::dataset::make("QuantizationInfo", { QuantizationInfo(0.5f, -10) }),
                                                                                                                                 framework::dataset::make("Beta", { 1.0f, 2.f }))),
-                                                                                                                framework::dataset::make("Axis", { -2, 2, 3 })))
+                                                                                                                framework::dataset::make("ReduceEndAxis", { -2, 1, 2 })))
 {
     // Validate output
     validate(Accessor(_target), _reference, tolerance_qasymm8_signed);
diff --git a/tests/validation/reference/LogSoftmaxLayer.cpp b/tests/validation/reference/LogSoftmaxLayer.cpp
index edb208e6ae..8dd8d45a86 100644
--- a/tests/validation/reference/LogSoftmaxLayer.cpp
+++ b/tests/validation/reference/LogSoftmaxLayer.cpp
@@ -35,26 +35,26 @@ namespace validation
 namespace reference
 {
 template <typename T, typename std::enable_if<is_floating_point<T>::value, int>::type>
-SimpleTensor<T> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t axis)
+SimpleTensor<T> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis)
 {
-    return softmax_layer_generic<T>(src, beta, axis, true);
+    return softmax_layer_generic<T>(src, beta, reduce_end_axis, true);
 }
 
 template < typename T, typename std::enable_if < std::is_same<T, uint8_t>::value || std::is_same<T, int8_t>::value, int >::type >
-SimpleTensor<T> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t axis)
+SimpleTensor<T> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis)
 {
     const QuantizationInfo output_quantization_info = arm_compute::get_softmax_output_quantization_info(src.data_type(), true);
 
     SimpleTensor<float> src_tmp = convert_from_asymmetric(src);
-    SimpleTensor<float> dst_tmp = log_softmax_layer<float>(src_tmp, beta, axis);
+    SimpleTensor<float> dst_tmp = log_softmax_layer<float>(src_tmp, beta, reduce_end_axis);
     SimpleTensor<T>     dst     = convert_to_asymmetric<T>(dst_tmp, output_quantization_info);
     return dst;
 }
 
-template SimpleTensor<float> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<float> &src, float beta, int32_t axis);
-template SimpleTensor<half> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<half> &src, float beta, int32_t axis);
-template SimpleTensor<uint8_t> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<uint8_t> &src, float beta, int32_t axis);
-template SimpleTensor<int8_t> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<int8_t> &src, float beta, int32_t axis);
+template SimpleTensor<float> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<float> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis);
+template SimpleTensor<half> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<half> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis);
+template SimpleTensor<uint8_t> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<uint8_t> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis);
+template SimpleTensor<int8_t> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<int8_t> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis);
 } // namespace reference
 } // namespace validation
 } // namespace test
diff --git a/tests/validation/reference/LogSoftmaxLayer.h b/tests/validation/reference/LogSoftmaxLayer.h
index 48ffdcfbcc..d9a439850e 100644
--- a/tests/validation/reference/LogSoftmaxLayer.h
+++ b/tests/validation/reference/LogSoftmaxLayer.h
@@ -36,10 +36,10 @@ namespace validation
 namespace reference
 {
 template <typename T, typename std::enable_if<is_floating_point<T>::value, int>::type = 0>
-SimpleTensor<T> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t axis = -1);
+SimpleTensor<T> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis = 0);
 
 template < typename T, typename std::enable_if < std::is_same<T, uint8_t>::value || std::is_same<T, int8_t>::value, int >::type = 0 >
-SimpleTensor<T> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t axis = -1);
+SimpleTensor<T> log_softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis = 0);
 } // namespace reference
 } // namespace validation
 } // namespace test
diff --git a/tests/validation/reference/SoftmaxLayer.cpp b/tests/validation/reference/SoftmaxLayer.cpp
index 2fe1faef50..9a8d46d516 100644
--- a/tests/validation/reference/SoftmaxLayer.cpp
+++ b/tests/validation/reference/SoftmaxLayer.cpp
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
  */
 #include "SoftmaxLayer.h"
 
+#include "arm_compute/core/Helpers.h"
 #include "arm_compute/core/Types.h"
 
 namespace arm_compute
@@ -34,32 +35,21 @@ namespace validation
 namespace reference
 {
 template <typename T, typename std::enable_if<is_floating_point<T>::value, int>::type>
-SimpleTensor<T> softmax_layer_generic(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t axis, bool is_log)
+SimpleTensor<T> softmax_layer_generic(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis, bool is_log)
 {
     // Create reference
     SimpleTensor<T> dst{ src.shape(), src.data_type(), 1 };
 
-    // Negative index is used to specify axis from the end (e.g. -1 for the last axis).
-    if(axis < 0)
-    {
-        axis += src.shape().num_dimensions();
-    }
+    // Convert reduce-before axis (inclusive) to first n axes to reduce
+    const size_t first_n_reduce_axes = dim_index_2_num_dims(reduce_end_axis, static_cast<int32_t>(src.shape().num_dimensions()));
 
     // Compute reference. Lower dims are the collapsing of the first axis
     // dimensions (i.e., the flattened dimension of each batch). The upper dims are
     // instead the batches we want to normalize
 
-    int lower_dims = 1;
-    for(size_t i = 0; i < static_cast<size_t>(axis); ++i)
-    {
-        lower_dims *= src.shape()[i];
-    }
+    const int lower_dims = src.shape().total_size_lower(first_n_reduce_axes);
 
-    int upper_dims = 1;
-    for(size_t i = static_cast<size_t>(axis); i < TensorShape::num_max_dimensions; ++i)
-    {
-        upper_dims *= src.shape()[i];
-    }
+    const int upper_dims = src.shape().total_size_upper(first_n_reduce_axes);
 
 #if defined(_OPENMP)
     #pragma omp parallel for
@@ -107,30 +97,30 @@ SimpleTensor<T> softmax_layer_generic(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, in
     return dst;
 }
 
-template SimpleTensor<float> softmax_layer_generic(const SimpleTensor<float> &src, float beta, int32_t axis, bool is_log);
-template SimpleTensor<half> softmax_layer_generic(const SimpleTensor<half> &src, float beta, int32_t axis, bool is_log);
+template SimpleTensor<float> softmax_layer_generic(const SimpleTensor<float> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis, bool is_log);
+template SimpleTensor<half> softmax_layer_generic(const SimpleTensor<half> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis, bool is_log);
 
 template <typename T, typename std::enable_if<is_floating_point<T>::value, int>::type>
-SimpleTensor<T> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t axis)
+SimpleTensor<T> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis)
 {
-    return softmax_layer_generic<T>(src, beta, axis, false);
+    return softmax_layer_generic<T>(src, beta, reduce_end_axis, false);
 }
 
 template < typename T, typename std::enable_if < std::is_same<T, uint8_t>::value || std::is_same<T, int8_t>::value, int >::type >
-SimpleTensor<T> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t axis)
+SimpleTensor<T> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis)
 {
     const QuantizationInfo output_quantization_info = arm_compute::get_softmax_output_quantization_info(src.data_type(), false);
 
     SimpleTensor<float> src_tmp = convert_from_asymmetric(src);
-    SimpleTensor<float> dst_tmp = softmax_layer<float>(src_tmp, beta, axis);
+    SimpleTensor<float> dst_tmp = softmax_layer<float>(src_tmp, beta, reduce_end_axis);
     SimpleTensor<T>     dst     = convert_to_asymmetric<T>(dst_tmp, output_quantization_info);
     return dst;
 }
 
-template SimpleTensor<float> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<float> &src, float beta, int32_t axis);
-template SimpleTensor<half> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<half> &src, float beta, int32_t axis);
-template SimpleTensor<uint8_t> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<uint8_t> &src, float beta, int32_t axis);
-template SimpleTensor<int8_t> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<int8_t> &src, float beta, int32_t axis);
+template SimpleTensor<float> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<float> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis);
+template SimpleTensor<half> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<half> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis);
+template SimpleTensor<uint8_t> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<uint8_t> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis);
+template SimpleTensor<int8_t> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<int8_t> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis);
 } // namespace reference
 } // namespace validation
 } // namespace test
diff --git a/tests/validation/reference/SoftmaxLayer.h b/tests/validation/reference/SoftmaxLayer.h
index f819853d95..fde19943bf 100644
--- a/tests/validation/reference/SoftmaxLayer.h
+++ b/tests/validation/reference/SoftmaxLayer.h
@@ -36,13 +36,13 @@ namespace validation
 namespace reference
 {
 template <typename T, typename std::enable_if<is_floating_point<T>::value, int>::type = 0>
-SimpleTensor<T> softmax_layer_generic(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t axis, bool is_log = false);
+SimpleTensor<T> softmax_layer_generic(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis, bool is_log = false);
 
 template <typename T, typename std::enable_if<is_floating_point<T>::value, int>::type = 0>
-SimpleTensor<T> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t axis = -1);
+SimpleTensor<T> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis = 0);
 
 template < typename T, typename std::enable_if < std::is_same<T, uint8_t>::value || std::is_same<T, int8_t>::value, int >::type = 0 >
-SimpleTensor<T> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t axis = -1);
+SimpleTensor<T> softmax_layer(const SimpleTensor<T> &src, float beta, int32_t reduce_end_axis = 0);
 } // namespace reference
 } // namespace validation
 } // namespace test