FlashAttention Part Two: An intuitive introduction to the attention mechanism, with real-world analogies, simple visuals, and plain narrative. Dimitris Poulopoulos April 15th Attention, Please! (Part I) Attention is all you need, but the span is limited In the previous chapter, I introduced the FlashAttention mechanism from a high-level perspective, following an "Explain Like I'm 5" (ELI5) approach. This method resonates with me the most; I always strive to connect challenging concepts to...
7 months ago • 8 min read
Part One: An ELI5 introduction to "FlashAttention", a fast, IO-aware, memory-efficient mechanism, promising faster training times on longer sequences. Dimitris Poulopoulos April 8th Unraveling FlashAttention A Leap Forward in Language Modeling As I pondered the topic for my newsletter, the idea of explaining how the attention mechanism works immediately stood out. Indeed, when launching a new series, starting with the fundamentals is a wise strategy, and Large Language Models (LLMs) are the...
8 months ago • 6 min read
Learning Rate Dear Subscribers It’s been a long time since we last connected. I hope this message finds you well and continuously curious about the vast world of Machine Learning and MLOps. Today, I’m thrilled to announce a transformative evolution in how Learning Rate will bring you the insights and knowledge you value so much. 🧮 A New Shape to Learning Starting next month, Learning Rate is taking a deep dive approach. Each month, we will focus on one key topic, breaking it down over four...
8 months ago • 2 min read