Optimizing GPU resources with NVIDIA MIG in Red Hat OpenShift AI

In the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), businesses are constantly striving for solutions that optimize resource usage, reduce costs, and enable scalability. One of the most powerful tools in this quest is the NVIDIA Multi-Instance GPU (MIG) technology, which enables more efficient utilization of GPUs. When combined with OpenShift AI, MIG allows organizations to unlock the full potential of their AI workloads while ensuring flexibility, cost-efficiency, and a sustainable approach to infrastructure management.

Introduction to MIG and OpenShift AI

MIG, a feature introduced by NVIDIA, allows a single physical GPU to be partitioned into multiple smaller, independent GPU instances. Each instance can be allocated to different tasks, maximizing GPU utilization and ensuring that workloads are efficiently distributed. With GPUs typically being expensive resources, the ability to dynamically adjust and allocate them based on demand is crucial for enterprises looking to optimize their infrastructure costs.

OpenShift AI, on the other hand, is a platform that empowers organizations to build, deploy, and manage AI and ML workloads at scale. It leverages the power of Red Hat OpenShift and integrates seamlessly with NVIDIA’s GPU technologies, making it a perfect match for running cutting-edge AI models and workloads. OpenShift AI brings together the open-source community-driven innovation of Red Hat with the robust AI capabilities of NVIDIA, creating a dynamic and flexible AI platform.

Challenges of GPU utilization and the role of MIG technology

One of the key challenges in AI infrastructure is underutilization of expensive resources, particularly GPUs. In many traditional setups, GPUs are often allocated statically, which can result in inefficient usage and wasted cycles. Companies end up purchasing more GPUs than they need to accommodate peak workloads, often leaving a significant portion of these powerful resources idle.

This inefficiency stems from the lack of a proper GPU management tool that can dynamically adjust GPU resources based on the specific requirements of workloads. The need for a GPU Configurator that factors in Machine Learning models, custom datasets, and workload requirements is crucial to solve this problem. By leveraging MIG technology, businesses can partition a single GPU into multiple instances, each allocated to a different workload, ensuring that every cycle of the GPU is used to its fullest potential.

This is where MIG integrated into OpenShift AI becomes a game-changer. By dynamically adjusting the MIG profiles based on workload demands, businesses can ensure that their GPU resources are optimized, reducing unnecessary costs while improving performance.

The power of MIG in OpenShift AI

The integration of MIG technology into OpenShift AI provides a powerful solution for optimizing GPU usage. Here’s how it works:

1. Dynamic MIG profile adjustment: OpenShift AI can dynamically adjust the MIG profiles based on workload requirements. For example, during model training, more GPU resources might be needed, while inference workloads can run with less GPU power. MIG enables this flexibility by allowing GPU instances to be resized without requiring a reboot, ensuring that resources are allocated in real-time to meet demand.

2. Cost-effective scaling: By partitioning GPUs, businesses can avoid purchasing excessive hardware to meet peak demand. With MIG, you can scale up or down as needed, making your AI infrastructure much more cost-efficient. You only pay for what you use, which aligns perfectly with the trend towards consumption-based pricing models in modern cloud infrastructure.

3. Optimizing for specific workloads: Whether you're running a deep learning model, training a neural network, or performing inference on smaller datasets, the flexibility of MIG allows you to tailor GPU resources for specific workloads. This means that companies can maximize their GPU utilization without the need for over-provisioning or underutilization, resulting in a more efficient AI environment.

4. Improved resource allocation: For businesses running multiple workloads on the same hardware, MIG offers the ability to allocate GPU resources based on the priority of each task. High-priority workloads can be given more GPU power, while lower-priority tasks can run with fewer resources, all within the same physical GPU.

Why MIG makes sense

The benefits of integrating MIG into OpenShift AI extend far beyond just technical improvements. By optimizing GPU resources, businesses can realize significant cost savings, improve their environmental footprint, and ensure that they are running the most efficient AI infrastructure possible. With the scarcity of GPUs and the increasing demand for AI capabilities, this kind of resource optimization is essential for staying competitive.

1. Reducing waste: The ability to dynamically adjust GPU profiles prevents the waste of expensive GPU cycles. When resources are underutilized, companies are essentially wasting money. MIG addresses this issue by ensuring that every GPU cycle is used efficiently.

2. Supporting AI/ML business models: Many businesses are now leveraging AI to gain insights, automate processes, and drive innovation. However, AI models require significant computational resources, and managing these resources efficiently is crucial. By integrating MIG into OpenShift AI, companies can ensure they are not only optimizing their hardware but also enhancing their ability to scale AI workloads without unnecessary costs.

3. Billing capability for clients: As businesses increasingly adopt AI-driven solutions, there is a growing need for consumption-based billing models. With MIG, businesses can track GPU usage at a granular level, allowing for accurate billing based on resource consumption. This is particularly useful for companies offering AI-as-a-service or for those running AI workloads in multi-tenant environments.

4. Environmental impact: Optimizing GPU resources also has environmental benefits. By reducing waste and making more efficient use of existing hardware, businesses can reduce their carbon footprint. This aligns with sustainability goals and supports organizations looking to improve their environmental impact while scaling their AI capabilities.

Conclusion

The integration of NVIDIA’s MIG technology into OpenShift AI is a significant step forward in optimizing GPU resources for AI and ML workloads. By dynamically adjusting GPU profiles based on demand, businesses can reduce costs, improve performance, and scale efficiently. OpenShift AI’s flexibility, combined with the power of MIG, provides an unparalleled solution for companies looking to optimize their AI infrastructure and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving market.

Learn more about implementing NVIDIA MIG in Red Hat OpenShift, in this comprehensive guide to optimizing GPU resources in containerized environments on IBM Developer.

With MIG, businesses can unlock the true potential of their GPUs, avoid over-provisioning, and ensure that their AI workloads are running at peak efficiency. This is the future of AI infrastructure: efficient, flexible, and cost-effective.

Acknowledgements

This article was produced as part of an IBM Open Innovation Community Initiative.