Understanding LLM Model Sizes and Hardware Requirements
Chapter 1: Introduction to Large Language Models and Size
What is a Large Language Model (LLM)?
Understanding Model Parameters
How Model Size is Measured
Examples of Different Model Sizes
Quiz for Chapter 1
Chapter 2: Essential Hardware Components for AI
The Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Random Access Memory (RAM)
The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
Video RAM (VRAM)
Brief Overview of TPUs
Quiz for Chapter 2
Chapter 3: Connecting Model Size to Hardware Needs
Model Parameters and Memory Consumption
Data Types and Precision (FP16, INT8)
Introduction to Quantization
Compute Requirements (FLOPS)
Memory Bandwidth Importance
Quiz for Chapter 3
Chapter 4: Running LLMs: Inference vs. Training
What is Model Inference?
Hardware Needs for Inference
What is Model Training?
Hardware Needs for Training
Focus on Inference Requirements
Quiz for Chapter 4
Chapter 5: Estimating Hardware Needs
Rule of Thumb: Parameters to VRAM
Accounting for Activation Memory
Factors Influencing Actual Usage
Checking Hardware Specifications
Practice: Simple VRAM Estimations
Quiz for Chapter 5
Random Access Memory (RAM)
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- Computer Organization and Design RISC-V Edition: The Hardware/Software Interface, David A. Patterson, John L. Hennessy, 2020 (Morgan Kaufmann) - A widely recognized textbook that details computer architecture, including the memory hierarchy, RAM's function, and its interaction with the CPU and other components.
- Operating System Concepts, Abraham Silberschatz, Peter Baer Galvin, Greg Gagne, 2023 (John Wiley & Sons) - This authoritative textbook clarifies how operating systems manage and use RAM, including aspects like process memory, virtual memory, and system resource allocation.
- Lecture 10: Memory Hierarchy, MIT OpenCourseWare, 2017 (MIT) - Part of a foundational course on computation structures, this lecture offers a clear explanation of the computer memory hierarchy, focusing on RAM's characteristics and system placement.