ali hassani
allie, not ollie
i live somewhere along the valley that some think is made of silicone
what one can't tell by just looking at me
i am ali. i aspire to make good software, for the right hardware. hardware that processes more numbers every second than there are grains of sand on planet earth.
ai, heard of it? some people can't survive if their tokens don't get to them quickly enough, while the models get bigger and more complex. do you have any idea how that happens? it's not magic, it's talent and sweat. people like me ensuring it's fast and cheap, and doesn't leave a hole in your pocket.
i work at nvidia. it is unique, like many of my interests. i did my doctorate at georgia tech, a master's at university of oregon, and bachelor's at university of kerman, all three in computer science.
i am originally from iran. make of that what you will. if it's up to me, i choose saffron ice cream. with pistachios, as i hail from carmania.
after hours, i like to retire to centuries past, and read about the enlightened, the addle-minded, the kind, and the evil. the brightest chapters inspire hope, and the darkest chapters teach me how to steer clearest of the rocks and shoals. poetry and music likewise help with the latter. in matters of poetry, i am currently obsessed with centuries nineteen and twenty. in matters of music, if they have a spotify, i have likely heard of them.
things i work on with non-zero enthusiasm
natten
for years, papers came and went, idea after idea, while a simpler one sat in plain sight, overlooked: the humble sliding window. “but it is too simple,” they said, not realizing that is not an argument. in the beginning, i might have been a greater fool, but to quote one of my favorite series of all time, “this whole country was made by greater fools.” and right i was, for proving this idea could work would take me years, and provide me with much research to be done, over the course of four different papers. to some in the field, that may be a small number. to me, non multa, sed multum. my aforementioned enthusiasm can be observed in this talk.
cutlass
truly one of the most remarkable works of art i've had the pleasure of studying, from which i've learned a great deal, and to which i only hope to contribute as much. it also saved my phd by being the engine that powered natten. aside from that, my meager contributions have included low-latency kernels, distributed kernels, and fusion patterns.
should you need to learn more
should you ever need to reach out
i am also available for giving advice and motivational speeches.