The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) constitutes a fundamental component in the realm of Large Language Model (LLM) training, primarily owing to its capability to expedite parallel computations. Contemporary deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow and PyTorch capitalize on GPUs to execute matrix multiplications and other requisite operations essential for neural network training. In the selection process of a GPU, pivotal considerations encompass memory capacity (Video Random Access Memory or VRAM), memory bandwidth, and processing power, quantified in terms of CUDA cores. High-tier GPUs like NVIDIA’s Tesla series or the GeForce RTX series are commonly preferred for LLM training endeavors, given that heightened GPU potency correlates with swifter training processes. This article will cover several GPU cards and calculations.
Data Center GPU Offerings
Herein are delineated some of the most potent, data center-grade GPUs globally, commonly deployed for erecting extensive GPU infrastructure.
- NVIDIA Tesla A100
- The A100, predicated upon Tensor Cores, harnesses multi-instance GPU (MIG) technology. Engineered for workloads spanning high-performance computing (HPC), machine learning, and data analytics, the A100 emphasizes scalability, accommodating up to thousands of units. It can be subdivided into seven GPU instances catering to diverse workload scales. The A100 delivers performance peaking at 624 teraflops (trillions of floating-point operations per second) and encompasses 40GB of memory, 1,555 GB bandwidth, and 600GB/s interconnects.
- NVIDIA Tesla V100
- Built upon Tensor Cores, the V100 GPU is tailored for applications including machine learning, deep learning, and HPC. Leveraging NVIDIA Volta technology, the V100 expedites common tensor operations inherent in deep learning workloads. The Tesla V100 proffers performance scaling up to 149 teraflops, alongside 32GB of memory and a 4,096-bit memory bus.
- NVIDIA Tesla P100
- The Tesla P100 GPU, grounded in an NVIDIA Pascal architecture, is expressly crafted for HPC and machine learning pursuits. Endowed with a performance potential of up to 21 teraflops, the P100 integrates 16GB of memory and a 4,096-bit memory bus.
- NVIDIA Tesla K80
- The K80 GPU harnesses NVIDIA Kepler architecture, facilitating the acceleration of data analytics and scientific computing. Embodied within are 4,992 NVIDIA CUDA cores, along with GPU Boost™ technology. The Tesla K80 furnishes performance capabilities reaching up to 8.73 teraflops, complemented by 480GB memory bandwidth and 24GB of GDDR5 memory.
- Google TPU
- Google proffers distinct tensor processing units (TPUs), which constitute application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) deployed either in chip form or within the cloud, to bolster deep learning endeavors. Tailored explicitly for utilization with TensorFlow, these TPUs are exclusively accessible on the Google Cloud Platform. Google TPUs deliver performance metrics scaling up to 420 teraflops, coupled with a high bandwidth memory (HBM) of 128 GB. Additionally, pod versions boasting over 100 petaflops of performance, alongside 32TB HBM and 2D toroidal mesh networks, are available.
Commodity GPUs encompass a mere 16 GB / 24 GB of GPU memory, while even the most advanced NVIDIA A100 and V100 GPUs are endowed with 40 GB / 80 GB of GPU memory per device.
Calculation of Required A100 GPUs for LLM Training
To determine the requisite number of A100 GPUs for LLM training, the following formula is applied:
Number of A100 (80G) GPUs needed for Training = ((tokens * epochs * model_size * 13.3) / hours)
Calculation of Required A100 GPUs for LLM Inference
The formula employed for computing the necessary number of A100 GPUs for LLM inference is as follows:
Number of A100 (80G) GPUs needed for Inference = (output_tokens / throughput * qpm / 60)
Model Memory Calculator
A tool facilitating the computation of the requisite vRAM for training and conducting inference on substantial models hosted on the 🤗 Hugging Face Hub is available.
Best Practices for Effective Distributed LLM Training
Implementing effective distributed systems in LLM training necessitates adherence to the following best practices:
1. Framework Selection: Opt for frameworks purpose-built for distributed training such as TensorFlow or PyTorch, offering streamlined tools and APIs for the implementation of distributed training strategies.
2. Communication Optimization: Minimize communication overhead by adopting techniques like gradient accumulation prior to model updates or employing gradient compression to diminish data exchange between nodes.
3. Batch Size Experimentation: Identify the optimal batch size for distributed training, considering that excessively small batches might amplify communication overhead, while overly large batches can engender memory constraints.
4. Monitoring and Tuning: Routinely monitor distributed training performance and adjust hyperparameters, partitioning strategies, and communication settings to optimize efficiency.
5. Backup and Recovery Mechanisms: Implement robust mechanisms for periodic model checkpoints and swift recovery in the event of failures, ensuring seamless resumption of training without necessitating recommencement.
Challenges of Distributed LLM Training
While distributed systems furnish notable advantages in expediting LLM training, they concurrently pose challenges that demand mitigation:
1. Communication Overhead: In distributed systems, communication between nodes can emerge as a bottleneck, particularly during gradient aggregation or model update exchanges, thereby potentially impeding overall speedup.
2. Synchronization Complexity: Coordinating updates from multiple machines, especially in model parallelism scenarios, entails intricate synchronization to ensure accurate alignment of diverse model segments.
3. Failure Handling: The advent of individual node failures in distributed systems underscores the necessity for robust mechanisms facilitating failure recovery and seamless resumption of training processes.
4. Resource Management: Efficiently managing resources across multiple machines, encompassing both CPUs and GPUs, mandates sophisticated resource allocation and scheduling strategies.
References:
- https://lambdalabs.com/gpu-benchmarks
- https://towardsdatascience.com/how-to-build-a-multi-gpu-system-for-deep-learning-in-2023-e5bbb905d935
- https://huggingface.co/docs/accelerate/main/en/concept_guides/training_tpu
- https://docs.nvidia.com/deeplearning/performance/dl-performance-gpu-background/index.html
- https://huggingface.co/docs/accelerate/main/en/usage_guides/model_size_estimator