Dev Interrupted

Scaling ChatGPT: Inside OpenAI's Rapid Growth and Technical Challenges | Evan Morikawa

Jan 9, 2024

Evan Morikawa, Engineering Manager at OpenAI, discusses the scaling issues faced by Chat-GPT during its viral success. He talks about misconceptions around generative AI, the reliance on GPUs for complex computations, the key role of APIs, and interesting use cases for GPT-4.

41:03

Episode guests

Evan Morikawa

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Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Scaling and adapting to sudden growth and GPU shortages were major challenges for OpenAI's Chat GPT, requiring optimization of resources and utilization metrics.

APIs play a critical role in OpenAI's success by enabling seamless integration of AI capabilities, refining models through real-world use cases and user feedback.

Deep dives

Scaling Chat GPT and adapting to GPU shortages

Scaling Chat GPT and adapting to GPU shortages was a major challenge for OpenAI. The sudden surge in usage and the shortage of GPUs required the team to find more GPUs and optimize resources. They had to tweak utilization metrics and optimize performance to get more users onto the platform. While facing scalability issues, they also focused on maintaining cost and latency. They tackled engineering challenges by using stock tools and relying on Azure Kubernetes service, data dog, and other off-the-shelf solutions. The API ecosystem played a crucial role, as developer feedback helped identify and resolve issues in the system.

Insights on the Nature and Training of AI Models

01:45

Specialized Hardware and Software Stack Dominance

01:21

Introduction

3min

OpenAI's Journey: From API Company to ChatGPT Launch and Scaling Challenges

6min

Misconceptions and Limitations of AI

9min

The Role of GPUs in OpenAI's Tech Stack

14min

Addressing Viral Growth, Skepticism, and Safety in Product Iteration

2min

The Importance of Research Field and APIs

8min

What can you learn from the scaling issues OpenAI experienced when Chat-GPT went viral?

On this week’s episode, guest host Ben Lloyd Pearson is joined by Evan Morikawa, Engineering Manager at OpenAI. Join us for a first-hand look at the engineering challenges that came with Chat-GPT’s viral success, and the difficulties associated with scaling in response to the sudden platform popularity.

They also discuss misconceptions around generative AI, OpenAI’s reliance on GPUs to carry out their complex computations, the key role of APIs in their success, and some fascinating use cases they’ve seen implementing GPT-4.
Show Notes: