Dheemanth aeab82ff30
CUDA 13.2 samples update (#432)
- Added Python samples for CUDA Python 1.0 release
- Renamed top-level `Samples` directory to `cpp` to accommodate Python samples.
2026-05-13 17:13:18 -05:00

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# Sample: multiGPUGradientAverage (Python)
## Description
This sample demonstrates gradient averaging across multiple GPUs using MPI and cuda.core. Each GPU computes local gradients, which are synchronized (averaged) across all GPUs using MPI Allreduce with host-staging (GPU → CPU → MPI → CPU → GPU) for maximum compatibility.
## What you will learn
- How to initialize MPI for multi-process GPU communication
- How to map MPI ranks to CUDA devices consistently
- How to integrate cuda.core streams with CuPy using `ExternalStream`
- How to compile and launch custom CUDA kernels using cuda.core
- How to use cuda.core Event for GPU timing measurements
- How to use MPI Allreduce with host-staging for universal compatibility
## Prerequisites
- Python 3.10+
- CUDA Toolkit 13.0+
- Standard MPI implementation (OpenMPI, MPICH, or Intel MPI)
- Multiple NVIDIA GPUs (tested with 2+ GPUs)
## Installation
```bash
pip install mpi4py cupy-cuda13x cuda-python cuda-core
```
## Running
**IMPORTANT:** This sample **MUST** be run with `mpirun` with at least 2 processes.
```bash
# Single node (2 GPUs)
mpirun -np 2 python multiGPUGradientAverage.py --size 10000
# Single node (4 GPUs)
mpirun -np 4 python multiGPUGradientAverage.py --size 10000
# With specific GPUs
CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=0,2 mpirun -np 2 python multiGPUGradientAverage.py
```
## Sample Output
```
[Rank 0] World size = 4
======================================================================
Multi-GPU Gradient Average Demo
======================================================================
Number of MPI ranks (GPUs): 4
Gradient vector length per GPU: 10000
Device: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
Computation: gradients computed on GPU via cuda.core.
Communication: gradients averaged via MPI_Allreduce on host (CPU) buffers.
======================================================================
Sample averaged gradient values (rank 0):
avg_grad[0] = 1.500000
avg_grad[5000] = 6.500000
avg_grad[9999] = 11.499000
Expected values:
expected[0] = 1.500000
expected[5000] = 6.500000
expected[9999] = 11.499000
Verifying gradient averaging correctness...
[PASS] Gradient averaging is correct.
[PASS] Gradient averaging is correct on all ranks.
Performance:
Kernel time (GPU only): 0.123 ms
MPI communication time (host-staging, end-to-end): 0.456 ms
Total time: 0.579 ms
======================================================================
Demo complete.
======================================================================
```
## Key Technical Details
The sample uses cuda.core streams and makes CuPy use them via `ExternalStream`:
```python
stream = device.create_stream()
cp.cuda.ExternalStream(int(stream.handle)).use()
```
GPU timing is measured using cuda.core Event:
```python
from cuda.core import EventOptions
timing_options = EventOptions(enable_timing=True)
start_event = stream.record(options=timing_options)
# ... GPU work ...
end_event = stream.record(options=timing_options)
end_event.sync()
kernel_time = end_event - start_event # Returns milliseconds
```
The host-staging pattern transfers data GPU → CPU → MPI → CPU → GPU for universal MPI compatibility without requiring CUDA-aware MPI.
## Troubleshooting
**Error: "This sample requires at least 2 MPI processes!"**
Solution: Run with `mpirun -np 2 python multiGPUGradientAverage.py`