AI Infrastructure: Networking Techniques

This module details the specialized networking requirements for AI workloads compared to traditional web applications. It covers the specific bandwidth and latency demands of each pipeline stage—from ingestion to inference—and analyzes the "rail-aligned" network architectures of Google Cloud's A3 and A4 GPU machine types designed to maximize "Goodput."

This module details strategies for efficiently moving massive datasets into the cloud. It covers the use of the Cross-Cloud Network and Cloud Interconnect to establish high-bandwidth pipelines, and outlines configuration best practices—such as enabling Jumbo Frames (MTU)—to reduce protocol overhead and optimize throughput.

This module details the critical role of low-latency networking in distributed model training. It covers the necessity of Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) for gradient synchronization, the benefits of Google's Titanium offload architecture in freeing up CPU resources, and the topology choices required to scale clusters without bottlenecks.

This module details the networking challenges specific to Generative AI inference, such as bursty traffic and long-lived connections. It covers optimizing Time-to-First-Token using the GKE Inference Gateway and "Queue Depth" routing, while also addressing best practices for network reliability and Identity and Access Management (IAM).

Student PDF links to all modules