Beyond CUDA Accelerating GenAI with MAX and Mojo (Chris Lattner’s lightning talk at GTC 2025)



AI Summary

Overview

  • AI has been evolving since the 1960s, with modern deep learning developing over the last decade.
  • Recent advancements have led to increasing complexity in AI tools and systems, creating challenges for developers.

Key Issues with Current AI Landscape

  • Fragmentation and complexity in tools like CUDA, often requiring deep expertise to navigate.
  • CUDA’s proprietary nature leads to limitations and difficulties in deployment and customization.

Modular’s Response

  • Modular is rethinking AI technology architecture to simplify development.
  • Introduction of Mojos, a new programming language designed for heterogeneous compute (CPUs, GPUs from various vendors).
  • Focus on making GPU programming accessible and powerful without the complexities of existing frameworks.

Core Technologies

  • Modular aims to create a structured ecosystem to facilitate efficient programming and collaboration.
  • Integration with existing systems like PyTorch for training models, while also establishing a simpler API for building custom models.

Innovations and Features

  • A focus on simplifying the development process while maximizing control and performance.
  • Development of a powerful stack that includes serving libraries and high-performance AI engines.
  • Strategies for automatic optimization and resource management across the infrastructure.

Community and Ecosystem

  • Modular encourages a collaborative environment to foster innovation and research.
  • Easy deployment options with containers designed for quick scaling and flexibility.

Conclusion

  • Modular is taking bold steps towards democratizing AI development, making state-of-the-art performance accessible without traditional barriers. For more information, visit: builds.mmodular.com and explore the available models and demos.