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Vijay Janapa Reddi
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% Abstract - REVISED: Curriculum design focus
\begin{abstract}
Machine learning systems engineering requires understanding framework internals: why optimizers consume memory, when computational complexity becomes prohibitive, how to navigate accuracy-latency-memory tradeoffs. Yet current ML education separates algorithms from systems—students learn gradient descent without measuring memory, attention mechanisms without profiling costs, training without understanding optimizer overhead. This divide leaves graduates unable to debug production failures or make informed engineering decisions. We present TinyTorch, a build-from-scratch curriculum where students implement PyTorch's core components (tensors, autograd, optimizers, neural networks) to gain framework transparency. Three pedagogical patterns address the gap: \textbf{progressive disclosure} gradually reveals complexity (gradient features exist from Module 01, activate in Module 06); \textbf{systems-first curriculum} embeds memory profiling from the start; \textbf{historical milestone validation} recreates nearly 70 years of ML breakthroughs (1958--2025) using exclusively student-implemented code. These patterns are grounded in learning theory (situated cognition, cognitive load theory) but represent testable hypotheses requiring empirical validation. The 20-module curriculum provides complete open-source infrastructure at \texttt{mlsysbook.ai/tinytorch}.
Machine learning systems engineering requires understanding framework internals: why optimizers consume memory, when computational complexity becomes prohibitive, how to navigate accuracy-latency-memory tradeoffs. Yet current ML education separates algorithms from systems—students learn gradient descent without measuring memory, attention mechanisms without profiling costs, training without understanding optimizer overhead. This divide leaves graduates unable to debug production failures or make informed engineering decisions, widening the gap between ML research and reliable production deployment. We present TinyTorch, a build-from-scratch curriculum where students implement PyTorch's core components (tensors, autograd, optimizers, neural networks) to gain framework transparency. Three pedagogical patterns address the gap: \textbf{progressive disclosure} gradually reveals complexity (gradient features exist from Module 01, activate in Module 06); \textbf{systems-first curriculum} embeds memory profiling from the start; \textbf{historical milestone validation} recreates nearly 70 years of ML breakthroughs (1958--2025) using exclusively student-implemented code. These patterns are grounded in learning theory (situated cognition, cognitive load theory) but represent testable hypotheses requiring empirical validation. The 20-module curriculum prepares AI engineers who understand not just what ML systems do, but why they work and how to make them scale. Complete open-source infrastructure is available at \texttt{mlsysbook.ai/tinytorch}.
\end{abstract}