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Ronen Dar
Co-founder and CTO at Run:ai

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Best Practices for Putting LLMs into Production

November 2023

Summary

In the quickly progressing field of AI, launching large language models (LLMs) in production environments comes with unique difficulties and opportunities. The need for GPU resources is rapidly increasing due to the computational power required for both training and managing these models. As Richie underlined, organizations are handling infrastructure hurdles, notably the effective management of shared GPU resources on platforms like Kubernetes. Ronan Dar, CTO of Run.ai, explained the complexities of refining AI workloads, highlighting the constraints of Kubernetes in handling batch jobs and the necessity for advanced scheduling solutions. He discussed Run.ai's platform enhancements that allow smarter GPU utilization, such as fractional GPU provisioning and flexible resource allocation, to tackle these challenges. The conversation also covered the importance of balancing model size, quantization, and batching to optimize LLM deployment costs and performance. With the ongoing development of serving frameworks and the integration of technologies like retrieval-augmented generation, the field is moving towards more efficient and accessible AI applications.

Key Takeaways:

Effective management of GPU resources is vital for launching large language models in production.
Kubernetes, while useful for certain tasks, has constraints in batch scheduling and resource sharing.
Run.ai's platform addresses these constraints by providing advanced scheduling and GPU optimization solutions.
Balancing model size, quantization, and batching is necessary to control costs and boost performance.
Serving frameworks and retrieval-augmented generation play a significant role in optimizing LLM deployment.

Deep Dives

Challenges with Kubernetes for AI Workloads

Kubernetes, originally designed for microservic ...
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es, faces difficulties when tasked with managing AI workloads, particularly batch jobs and resource allocation. As Ronan Dar highlighted, "Kubernetes was built for scheduling pods, not jobs," emphasizing the inherent problems in managing distributed workloads. The absence of flexible quotas and effective queuing mechanisms can lead to resource scarcity, where one user's demands may limit another's access. Run.ai addresses these issues by integrating a dedicated scheduler into Kubernetes environments, enabling flexible resource allocation and refining GPU utilization for shared clusters. This improvement not only alleviates the scheduling constraints but also introduces the capability for fractional GPU provisioning, a key feature for maximizing resource efficiency.

Optimizing GPU Utilization

Effective GPU utilization is a key part of cost-effective AI operations. Ronan stressed the need for smarter resource management, stating, "People are using their GPUs better, less idle GPUs, people are getting access to more GPUs." Run.ai's approach involves pooling GPU resources across clouds and on-premises environments, allowing for flexible allocation based on workload demands. This strategy reduces idle time and increases the number of concurrent workloads, thereby enhancing overall productivity. The introduction of fractional GPU provisioning further refines utilization by enabling the sharing of GPU resources, ensuring that even smaller tasks can leverage high-performance computing without the overhead of allocating entire GPUs.

Deployment and Cost Management of LLMs

The deployment of large language models is a costly venture, primarily due to their significant computational requirements. Ronan outlined several strategies for managing these costs, including selecting appropriate GPU types, implementing model quantization, and employing continuous batching techniques. Quantization, for example, reduces model size by representing weights with fewer bits, though this must be balanced against potential accuracy degradation. Continuous batching, on the other hand, enhances throughput by allowing the parallel processing of input sequences, significantly improving GPU efficiency. These strategies, coupled with the use of specialized inference GPUs and advanced serving frameworks, form a comprehensive approach to cost management in LLM deployment.

Advancements in Serving Frameworks

Serving frameworks are evolving quickly, offering new opportunities to enhance the deployment of LLMs. These frameworks, such as NVIDIA Triton and Microsoft's DeepSpeed, provide essential optimizations that improve latency and throughput, critical metrics for performance. Ronan highlighted the importance of selecting the right combination of LLM engines and servers, as these choices impact the efficiency and scalability of AI applications. The integration of features like HTTP interfaces, queuing mechanisms, and multi-model hosting capabilities further simplifies the deployment process, making it more accessible for enterprises looking to leverage LLMs in their operations.