Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Pushing Forward the Frontiers of Natural Language Processing

17/09/2021

Idea generation, not hardware or software, needs to be the bottleneck to the advancement of AI, Bryan Catanzaro, vice president of applied deep learning research at NVIDIA, said this week at the AI Hardware Summit.

We want the inventors, the researchers and the engineers that are coming up with future AI to be limited only by their own thoughts, Catanzaro told the audience.

Catanzaro leads a team of researchers working to apply the power of deep learning to everything from video games to chip design. At the annual event held in Silicon Valley, he described the work that NVIDIA is doing to enable advancements in AI, with a focus on large language modeling.

CUDA Is for the Dreamers Training and deploying large neural networks is a tough computational problem, so hardware that's both incredibly fast and highly efficient is a necessity, according to Catanzaro.

But, he explained, the software that accompanies that hardware might be even more important to unlocking further advancements in AI.

The core of the work that we do involves optimizing hardware and software together, all the way from chips, to systems, to software, frameworks, libraries, compilers, algorithms and applications, he said. We optimize all of these things to give transformational capabilities to scientists, researchers and engineers around the world.

This end-to-end approach yields chart-topping performance in industry-standard benchmarks, such as MLPerf. It also ensures that developers aren't constrained by the platform as they aim to advance AI.

CUDA is for the dreamers, CUDA is for the people who are thinking new thoughts, said Catanzaro. How do they think those thoughts and test them efficiently? They need something general and flexible, and that's why we build what we build.

Large Language Models Are Changing the World One of the most exciting areas of AI is language modeling, which is enabling groundbreaking applications in natural language understanding and conversational AI.

The complexity of large language models is growing at an incredible rate, with parameter counts doubling every two months.

A well-known example of a large and powerful language model is GPT-3, developed by OpenAI. Packing 175 billion parameters, it required 314 zettaflops (1021 floating point operations) to train.

It's a staggering amount of compute, Catanzaro said. And that means language modeling is now becoming constrained by economics.

Estimates suggest that GPT-3 would cost about $12 million to train and, Catanzaro observed, the rapid growth in model complexity means that, despite NVIDIA's tireless work to advance the performance and efficiency of its hardware and software, the cost to train these models is set to grow.

And, according to Catanzaro, this trend suggests that it might not be too long before a single model might require more than a billion dollars' worth of computer time to train.

What would it look like to build a model that took a billion dollars to train a single model? Well, it would need to reinvent an entire company, and you'd need to be able to use it in a lot of different contexts, Catanzaro explained.

Catanzaro expects that these models will unlock an incredible amount of value, inspiring continued innovation. During his talk, Catanzaro showed an example of the surprising capabilities of large language models to solve new tasks without being explicitly trained to do so.

After inputting just a few examples into a large language model - four sentences, with two written in English and their corresponding translations into Spanish - he then entered an English sentence, which the model then translated into Spanish properly.

The model was able to do this despite never being trained to do translation. Instead, it was trained - using, as Catanzaro described, an enormous amount of data from the internet - to predict the next word that should follow a given sequence of text.

To perform that very generic task, the model needed to come up with higher-level representations of concepts, such as the existence of languages in general, English and Spanish vocabularies and grammar, and the concept of a translation task, in order to understand the query and properly respond.

These language models are first steps towards generalized artificial intelligence with few shot learning, and that is enormously valuable and very exciting, explained Catanzaro.

A Full-Stack Approach to Language Modeling Catanzaro then went on to describe NVIDIA Megatron, a framework created by NVIDIA using PyTorch for efficiently training the world's largest, transformer-based language models.

A key feature of NVIDIA Megatron, which Catanzaro notes has already been used by various companies and organizations to train large transformer-based models, is model parallelism.

Megatron supports both inter-layer (pipeline) parallelism, which allows different layers of a model to be processed on different devices, as well as intra-layer (tensor) parallelism, which allows a single layer to be processed by multiple different devices.

Catanzaro further described some of the optimizations that NVIDIA applies to maximize the efficiency of pipeline parallelism and minimize so-called pipeline bubbles, during which a GPU is not performing useful work.

A batch is split into microbatches, the execution of which is pipelined. This boosts the utilization of the GPU resources in a system during training. With further optimizations, pipeline bubbles can be reduced even more.

Catanzaro described an optimization, recently published, that entails round-robining each (pipeline) stage among multiple GPUs so that we can further reduce the amount of pipeline bubble overhead in this schedule.

Although this optimization puts additional stress on the communication fabric within the system, Catanzaro showed that, by l
LINK: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2021/09/16/nlp-frontiers-ai-hardware-sum...
See more stories from nvidia

Most recent headlines

06/10/2025

France Tlvisions Wins Prestigious 2025 EBU Technology & Innovation Award in Groundbreaking Collaboration with Dalet

France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...

04/09/2025

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Dalet Win Prestigious 2025 NAB Show Project of the Year Award

Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...

16/06/2025

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Carmen Emmi, the Writer-Director of Plainclothes

By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...

16/06/2025

Spotify's Brian Berner on Creativity, Connection, and What's Next for Advertisers at Cannes Lions

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is officially underway for...

16/06/2025

Francophone Content on Spotify Continues to Thrive Around the World

On Spotify, francophone content continues to cross borders at an unprecedented rate. In 2024 alone, more than 123 million listeners worldwide streamed audio con...

16/06/2025

Tegna Announces Major Expansion of Local News Programming

TYSONS, Va. Tegna Inc. is embarking on a notable expansion of their already substantial local news programming by launching live and on-demand, local newscasts ...

16/06/2025

Netflix Expands Programmatic Ad Sales with Yahoo DSP

Netflix has announced that it is expanding its global programmatic ad offerings by partnering with Yahoo DSP. This will enable brands to buy Netflix advertising...

16/06/2025

Sub51 & Soundtrax announce Drop Pad 3

Instrument now boasts full NKS support Sub51 and Soundtrax have just announced the launch of an updated and improved version of their innovative sample-base...

16/06/2025

Roku, Amazon Team Up to Dominate CTV Ad Market

NEW YORK In a landmark agreement to overtake the burgeoning connected TV (CTV) advertising market, Amazon Ads and Roku today announced a new integration that gi...

16/06/2025

EdgeBeam Wireless Names Conrad Clemson CEO

ATLANTA, BALTIMORE, CINCINNATI and IRVING, Texas The four major broadcast groups behind the ATSC 3.0-based EdgeBeam Wireless datacasting joint venture today nam...

16/06/2025

Amazon MGM Studios to Deploy Avid Tools on AWS

BURLINGTON, Mass. Avid today announced an extended agreement with Amazon MGM Studios to integrate Avid's Media Composer and Avid NEXIS on Amazon Web Service...

16/06/2025

Maxon Epic Sale Drops June 16

Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, gaming and more, today announced the ...

16/06/2025

Alfalite launches Skypix a new ceiling-mounted Led panel...

Alfalite, the only European manufacturer of LED displays, announces the launch of SKYPIX RGBW & IM, a new series of ceiling-mounted LED panels designed specifi...

16/06/2025

ALM/Busy Circuits launch Pip Filter & LFO

Two new compact 4HP modules introduced ALM/Busy Circuits have just announced the launch of two new Eurorack modules, the Pip Filter and Pip LFO, both of whi...

16/06/2025

VEON Announces USD 35 Million Share Buyback

16 Jun 2025 VEON Announces USD 35 Million Share Buyback Announcement marks the third phase of USD 100 million share buyback program Dubai, June 16, 2025: VEON...

16/06/2025

Summer Sale: Big Discounts on Ivory II Pianos - Now Through June 30th!

Save 40% or More on All Ivory II Collections!From now through June 30th, enjoy huge savings on all Ivory II Piano Collections. Our biggest discounts ever are be...

16/06/2025

Behind The Broadcast Booth, Ep. 3: Golf. My Future. My Game. Founder and CEO Craig Kirby Talks Advocacy in Sports and More

Behind The Broadcast Booth, Ep. 3: Golf. My Future. My Game. Founder and CEO Cra...

16/06/2025

The REMI Revolution Is Here: How Remote Production Technology in Esports Pioneers a New Age of Broadcast

The REMI Revolution Is Here: How Remote Production Technology in Esports Pioneer...

16/06/2025

From Super Bowl to Indy 500, New Orleans Artist Frenchy' Captures Energy of Sports Production on Canvas

From Super Bowl to Indy 500, New Orleans Artist Frenchy' Captures Energy of...

16/06/2025

NFL Films Enhances Post Studio With Dolby Atmos Audio

NFL Films Enhances Post Studio With Dolby Atmos Audio Forty-three channels of audio enable the facility to migrate to immersive By Dan Daley, Audio Editor Mo...

16/06/2025

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Storj's David Colantuoni on Expanding Cloud-Based Storage to Live Sports Production

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Storj's David Colantuoni on Expanding Cloud-Based...

16/06/2025

Grass Valley 4K Cameras Head to Greece for View Master Events' New OB Truck

Grass Valley 4K Cameras Head to Greece for View Master Events' New OB Truck By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director Monday, June 16, 2025 - 2:33 pm Pri...

16/06/2025

WWF and Sky Kids launch Wear it Wild with Ready Eddie Go!

Monday 16 June 2025 Families and children are invited to dress up, have fun and raise money to protect nature WWF UK and Sky Kids are teaming up to launch Wea...

16/06/2025

The Rohde & Schwarz R&S M3AR radio family reaches 10,000 unit milestone, demonstrating commitment to innovation and quality

The Rohde & Schwarz R&S M3AR radio family reaches 10,000 unit milestone, demonst...

16/06/2025

FOX Advertising Launches Enhanced Brand Storytelling Program with Strategic Investment in The Lighthouse

FOX Advertising Launches Enhanced Brand Storytelling Program with Strategic Inve...

16/06/2025

Run With Ray in Cork, Waterford, Kilkenny, Drogheda and Dublin as The Ray D'Arcy Show hits the road

Run with Ray is back! RT Radio 1's The Ray D'Arcy Show hits the road th...

15/06/2025

Music Production for Women free in-person workshops

July 2025 in Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam & London Photo: Thea Martre Music Production for Women (MPW) have announced that they will be running a series of fo...

15/06/2025

Jason's Piano & API Drums instruments from Sulcata Sound

Composer/producer launches free virtual instruments Sulcata Sound is the latest venture of Jason Graves, a two-time British Academy Award-winnning composer,...

14/06/2025

Pluto TV Adds All Womens Sports Network's FAST Channel

NEW YORK Pluto TV and the All Womens Sports Network have launched a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) AWSN channel in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and the Nor...

14/06/2025

Scripps Inks Multiyear Agreement for WNBA Games on Ion

NEW YORK and CINCINNATI E.W. Scripps has announced a new, multiyear agreement with the WNBA that will continue Ions regular-season coverage of the league on Fri...

14/06/2025

NAB Highlights Hidden Importance of Spectrum in Major Sports Broadcasting

WASHINGTON The National Association of Broadcasters highlighted the hidden importance of spectrum in the production of major sporting events and described wha...

14/06/2025

1.0 Sunset, BPS and NextGen Broadcast's Potential Dominate ATSC Meeting

WASHINGTON Sunsetting ATSC 1.0, expanding business opportunities for NextGen Broadcast and increasing international adoption of the ATSC 3.0 standard were top o...

14/06/2025

Samba TV and Acxiom Announce Massive 40-market Global Expansion

SAN FRANCISCO Samba TV and Acxiom have announced that they will dramatically expand their longstanding relationship....

14/06/2025

MPW announce free in-person workshops

July 2025 in Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam & London Photo: Thea Martre Music Production for Women (MPW) have announced that they will be running a series of fo...

14/06/2025

San Francisco State University's School of Cinema Uses Blackmagic Design

San Francisco State University's School of Cinema Uses Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton June 13, 2025 0 Comments More than 40 Blackmagic Design came...

14/06/2025

Boris FX Mocha Pro Adds New AI Tools To Tackle VFX Tasks Fast

Boris FX Mocha Pro Adds New AI Tools To Tackle VFX Tasks Fast Jessie Electa Petrov June 13, 2025 0 Comments The 2025.5 release helps artists work more...

14/06/2025

AJA Debuts DRM2-Plus Mini-Converter Frame at InfoComm 2025

AJA Debuts DRM2-Plus Mini-Converter Frame at InfoComm 2025 Brie Clayton June 13, 2025 0 Comments Next-gen frame addresses diverse rackmount needs wit...

13/06/2025

Prime Minister: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Leader Who Champions Kindness

(L-R) Lindsay Utz, Michelle Walshe, and The Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Prime Minister at Eccles T...

13/06/2025

Materialists' Director Celine Song Reveals the Inspirations Behind the Film's Soundtrack

Photo credit: Atsushi Nishijima If you're a true lover of rom-coms, chances...

13/06/2025

Pure Drama and Fierce Rivalries set to dominate the world's most iconic sporting event

Pure Drama and Fierce Rivalries set to dominate the world's most iconic spor...

13/06/2025

Press Release: NFVF Opens Call for Public Film Screenings on GBV Awareness as South Africa Confronts Ongoing Femicide Crisis

Johannesburg, 12 June 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...

13/06/2025

Central Texas Storm Knocks out KTXS Tower, Severely Damages Building

ABILENE. Texas A severe storm knocked down the tower and severely damaged the news studio and main facility of Sinclair-owned KTXS here on Sunday, June 8....

13/06/2025

Berklee's Music Business/Management Department Recognized by the Music Biz Association

Berklee's Music Business/Management Department Recognized by the Music Biz A...

13/06/2025

ATSC Honors Aldo Cugnini, Clarence Hau

WASHINGTON The ATSC, the Broadcast Standards Association, honored veteran technologist Aldo Cugnini and Clarence Hau, Senior Vice President of Standards, Policy...

13/06/2025

ESPN Doubles Down on Immersive Fan Experience for UFL Championship

(Editor's note: The 2025 UFL Championship Game between the D.C. Defenders and Michigan Panthers kicks off Saturday, June 14, at 8 p.m. Eastern. The game wil...

13/06/2025

Soulyft Audio release Chime

New iPad/iPhone synth App announced Following on from last year's release of Gradient Synth - which reached #6 on the App Store's Paid Music charts ...

13/06/2025

HBO Max Plans July Launches in 12 New Markets

LONDON Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that HBO Max will launch direct-to-consumer in multiple new countries this July as the streamer becomes available in...

13/06/2025

Verbit Launches Speaker Identification for Live ASR Broadcast Captions

AI voice transcription and captioning platform Verbit has added a new feature to its Captivate ASR solution the ability to identify specific features in automat...

13/06/2025

FCC's Anna Gomez Meets with TV Networks, Studio Execs and Unions

WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission member Anna Gomez has wrapped up two weeks in California visiting broadcasters, television studio executives, enter...