Megakernel is multiprogramming for GPUs: 'GPUs are entering the CPU age'
pranjalssh · x · 2026-11-12
A crisp analogy for what a megakernel is:
- CPUs evolved from batch jobs (machine idles during I/O waits) to multiprogramming (another job runs while one waits) to full operating systems (scheduler, memory, tools).
- GPUs are following the same path: one kernel per operation (the GPU drains at every boundary and wait) → megakernel (another warp works while one waits) → possibly a GPU "operating system" next.
The accompanying diagram maps the two evolutions side by side, marking "we are here" at the megakernel stage.
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