Triton is a language and compiler for parallel programming. Specifically it is currently a Python-based DSL (Domain Specific Language) along with associated tooling, that enables the writing of efficient custom compute kernels used for implementing DNNs (Deep Neural Networks) and LLMs (Large Language Models), especially when executed on AI accelerators such as GP. By Sanjeev Rampal.
Triton is a DSL for writing GPU kernels that aren’t tied to any one vendor. Additionally, it is architected to have multiple layers of compilers that automate the optimization and tuning needed to address the memory vs compute throughput tradeoff noted above without requiring the kernel developer to do so. This is the primary value of Triton. Using this combination of device-independent front-end compilation and device-dependent backend compilation, it is able to generate near-optimal code for multiple hardware targets ranging from existing accelerators to upcoming accelerator families from Intel, Qualcomm, Meta, Microsoft and more without requiring the kernel developer to know details of or design optimization strategies for each hardware architecture separately.
Triton is an important initiative in the move towards democratizing the use and programming of AI accelerators such as GPUs for Deep Neural Networks. In this article we shared some foundational concepts around this project. In future articles, we will dive into additional Triton details and illustrate its use in enterprise AI platforms from Red Hat. Nice one!
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