Phase 1 Kernel Validation

Purpose

Enumerate every (kernel, shape) the model needs and verify each is numerically correct on real NPU2 before integrating them into a block. Phase 1 isolates per-kernel correctness from integration bugs and extends the shared kernel registry with the shapes this model exercises, so Phase 2+ (and future deployments) can rely on a verified shape catalog.

The core loop is small:

1. Derive the kernel × shape list from the model's config (worked example: the llama-3.2-1B rows in kernel_registry/supported_kernels.md).
2. For each (kernel, shape) → obtain a correctness verdict (harness atol/rtol PASS, or diagnosis cosine) → record verdict + mean_rel_L1
   • perf.
3. For each new (kernel, shape), append a row to that kernel's "tested shapes" table in kernel_registry/supported_kernels.md and its details/<Kernel>_bf16.md (Used by = <model>); record the full per-kernel results under <model>/docs/.

Two sources of the per-kernel correctness verdict (use whichever exists):

• Standalone harness (primary) — a self-contained make run that compiles ONE kernel/block to an ELF and checks its full output element-wise against an FP32 reference: np.isclose(|out−ref| ≤ atol + rtol·|ref|), every element must pass. The harness prints [precision] mean_rel_L1=… rtol=… atol=… PASS!/failed. — that PASS/FAIL IS the gate. This is the GPU/vLLM-aligned standard (rtol=1.6e-2 is PyTorch/vLLM's canonical bf16 tolerance; atol is sized per kernel to the measured datapath error). The registry's details/<Kernel>_bf16.md §Tolerances documents each kernel's exact rtol/atol. Upstream ships a harness for the FFN block (programming_examples/llms/llama_kernel_builder/ffn_swiglu/) plus the top-level kernel examples matrix_multiplication/bf16_in_bf16_out and matrix_multiplication/bf16_in_fp32_out (the BF16 GEMM, split by output dtype — the legacy matrix_multiplication/bf16 is kept for NPU1), matrix_vector_multiplication/bf16, flash_attention/kernel_fusion_based, eltwise_add, weighted_rms_norm, rms_norm, rope_lut.
• In-context diagnosis (fallback) — for a kernel with no standalone harness, there is no isolated output to run element-wise atol/rtol on, so fall back to make diagnosis: per-layer ffn_out cosine vs the HF bf16 reference. The per-layer cosine reflects every kernel in that layer. Cosine is the fallback lens only — not the gate for any kernel that has a harness.

Phase 1 PASS criteria (HARD GATES)

Every (kernel, shape) the model needs must satisfy all four. Each catches a different bug class:

1. A correctness signal exists for the kernel × shape: either a standalone harness make run (preferred — an isolated leaf check at the registry's atol/rtol) OR the kernel is covered by make diagnosis per-layer cosine. A kernel with neither is a silently-unverified kernel — not allowed.

2. Numerical correctness (the real correctness gate — not theoretical compile-time rules):

   • Harness-backed kernel → the harness's full-output element-wise np.isclose check PASSES at that kernel's rtol/atol (details/<Kernel>_bf16.md §Tolerances) vs the FP32 reference. This is the GPU/vLLM-aligned standard and the gate for every kernel that has a harness.
   • No-harness kernel → fall back to the make diagnosis per-layer cosine vs HF bf16 staying healthy (no cliff at the layer exercising this kernel). Catches: silent-corruption tile configs (e.g. GEMM N % (tile_n × herd_n) != 0, which the builder does NOT assert). Trust the measured atol/rtol verdict, not the rule.

   Record mean_rel_L1 (the headline metric) plus max_abs / max_rel when the harness prints them. mean_rel_L1 is the registry's per-shape accuracy column and a cheap regression baseline for future deployments; the gate itself is the harness's pass/fail at rtol/atol.

3. Tile utilization documented: each (kernel, shape) records its herd config. Targets:

   • Compute-bound (GEMM, FA): full 8×4 = 32 tiles
   • Row-parallel (RMSNorm, RoPE, GEMV-decode, SiLU+Mul, Eltwise): 8×1 = 8 tiles When achieved < target, justify in the catalog's Notes column (e.g. "M=1 decode RMSNorm uses 1 tile because batch=1 has no row-parallelism"). Catches: silent under-utilization.

4. Registry row written: every verified (kernel, shape) that is new to the registry is appended to that kernel's "tested shapes" table in programming_examples/kernel_registry/supported_kernels.md and its details/<Kernel>_bf16.md, with Used by = <model>, matching the existing rows' column schema. The full per-kernel results (mean_rel_L1 + harness PASS or diagnosis cosine, max_abs/max_rel, perf, tile config) also go to <model>/docs/. Catches: deployments that pass without leaving a reusable record.

Failure on ANY criterion blocks Phase 2.

Knowledge base references

PRIMARY (read before starting):

• programming_examples/kernel_registry/supported_kernels.md — index of every supported leaf kernel + its "tested shapes" table (shape, tile config, perf, mean_rel_L1, Used by, status) across deployments. This is the menu of known-good shapes to copy from and the table you extend.
• programming_examples/kernel_registry/details/<Kernel>_bf16.md — per-kernel detail: the numerical datapath, Tunable parameters (knobs + hard constraints + tradeoffs), tolerances, per-shape data, and the reproduce commands (which harness, how to run). Read the page for each kernel your model needs. GEMM is the exception: it is split by output dtype into details/GEMM_bf16_in_bf16_out.md and details/GEMM_bf16_in_fp32_out.md (BF16-out has a --high-precision tier — fused-cast / drain = FP32-accumulate + single cast, GPU-standard ~9.3e-3; F32-out always FP32-accumulates).
• programming_examples/kernel_registry/registry_lookup.py — the machine-readable half of the registry. gemm_config(M,K,N, output_dtype, precision) returns the registry's best measured {method, tile, gflops, mean_rel_L1} for a shape from the companion details/*.json, and raises (no silent guess) for an unmeasured shape — so Phase 1 recording a new GEMM shape is what unlocks the programmatic lookup that Phase 4 builders consume. The .md tables mirror these .json files for humans.

Workflow

Step 1: Derive the model's shape list

Read the HF config.json (or the model's <model>_weights.py:Config dataclass after Phase 0). Map each kernel call site to its shape using standard transformer identities (Q proj output dim = n_heads * head_dim, etc.). The llama-3.2-1B rows in kernel_registry/supported_kernels.md (and programming_examples/llms/llama32_1b/'s prefill/decode call sites) are the worked example of that call-site → shape mapping.

Write the working shape list — one row per (kernel, shape) with mean_rel_L1 + verdict + perf + status columns empty (Step 2 fills them) — under <model>/docs/ (e.g. <model>/docs/development_progress/phase1_kernels.md). This is scratch tracking for the deployment, not a registry file; the registry rows get written in Step 3.

Before running anything, read each needed kernel's details/<Kernel>_bf16.md Tunable parameters / constraints section and check the model's dims against it (alignment, max-K, placeability notes) — flag likely walls BEFORE compile time.

(If the model has unusual ops — Q/K Norm, post-norm, ops between currently-fused launches — flag in <model>/TODO.md as a Phase 2 prerequisite. The actual integration decision lives in phase-2-single-block-validation Step 0a.)

Step 2: Per-kernel verification

For each (kernel, shape) in your Step 1 shape list:

a. Pick the correctness source + initial tile config. Each kernel's details/<Kernel>_bf16.md has its reproduce commands (which harness, how to run) and a Tunable parameters table (knobs + hard constraints + tradeoffs). If your shape exists in that kernel's "tested shapes" table in supported_kernels.md → reuse the tile config. Else → mirror the nearest-shape entry; verify the hard constraints hold for your shape; adjust if not (e.g., GEMM N % (tile_n × herd_n) != 0 → pick smaller tile_n).

b. Run correctness (+ profile where a harness exists).

If a standalone harness or top-level example covers the shape:

cd programming_examples/<harness_or_example_dir>
flock -x -w 1800 /tmp/mlir-air-npu.lock make run       # element-wise atol/rtol vs FP32 ref → PASS!/failed.
flock -x -w 1800 /tmp/mlir-air-npu.lock make profile   # timing

If no standalone harness exists for the kernel, use the deployment's per-layer diagnosis:

cd programming_examples/llms/<model>
flock -x -w 1800 /tmp/mlir-air-npu.lock make diagnosis  # per-layer ffn_out cosine vs HF bf16

NPU is shared on this machine — every NPU command must be flock-wrapped (see project memory). Compile-only steps don't need the lock.

If the harness reports failed. (or, for a no-harness kernel, the diagnosis cosine drops) → see "Failure modes" below. Bound: 1 retry per recipe per shape; if still failing, escalate to TODO.md "Active blockers".

c. Record results in <model>/docs/. Fill the scratch row: mean_rel_L1 (+ harness PASS / diagnosis cosine), profile (ms / GFLOPS) where measured, tile config used, tiles in flight, status, source (harness vs diagnosis), and Notes (especially when tiles-in-flight is below target — justify why).

Step 3: Extend the kernel registry

For each (kernel, shape) verified in Step 2 that's new (not already in that kernel's "tested shapes" table in supported_kernels.md), append a row to both supported_kernels.md and the kernel's details/<Kernel>_bf16.md per-shape table: shape + tile config + tiles-in-flight, "Used by" listing your new model, mean_rel_L1 + profile from Step 2, status. Match the existing rows' column schema for that kernel exactly.

This grows the registry organically: each verified deployment extends the menu of known-good shapes future deployments can copy from. (Adding a new kernel — not just a new shape of an existing one — is the heavier add-kernel workflow with its own parity checklist; Phase 1 only adds shapes to kernels the registry already covers.)

Failure modes

When a test fails (harness failed. / diagnosis cosine drop, compile error, hang), match the symptom to a likely cause. These are debug starting points, not gates — trust the measured atol/rtol verdict, not the rule. The relevant kernel's details/<Kernel>_bf16.md (constraints / placeability section) is the authority for that kernel's hard limits.

For any failure not in the table, invoke superpowers:systematic-debugging.

Update protocol

On Phase 1 PASS:

• Mark Phase 1 in <model>/TODO.md, append "(N/N kernels PASSED)"
• Append summary to <model>/docs/development_progress/progress.md (per-kernel mean_rel_L1 + verdict, total time) — the per-model durable record
• kernel_registry/supported_kernels.md + details/<Kernel>_bf16.md carry a "tested shapes" row (Used by = <model>) for every new (kernel, shape) this model exercises — the cross-model durable record