Helion Documentation

⚠️ Early Development Warning Helion is currently in an experimental stage. You should expect bugs, incomplete features, and APIs that may change in future versions. Feedback and bug reports are welcome and appreciated!

Helion is a Python-embedded domain-specific language (DSL) for authoring machine learning kernels, designed to compile down to Triton, a performant backend for programming GPUs and other devices. Helion aims to raise the level of abstraction compared to Triton, making it easier to write correct and efficient kernels while enabling more automation in the autotuning process.

The name Helion refers to the nucleus of a helium-3 atom, while Triton refers to hydrogen-3.

Helion can be viewed either as PyTorch with tiles or as a higher-level Triton. Compared to Triton, Helion reduces manual coding effort through autotuning. Helion spends more time (approx 10 min) autotuning as it evaluates hundreds of potential Triton implementations generated from a single Helion kernel. This larger search space also makes kernels more performance portable between different hardware. Helion automates and autotunes over:

  1. Tensor Indexing:

    • Automatically calculates strides and indices.

    • Autotunes choices among various indexing methods (pointers, block pointers, TensorDescriptors).

  2. Masking:

    • Most masking is implicit in Helion, and is optimized away when not needed.

  3. Grid Sizes and PID Calculations:

    • Automatically determines grid sizes.

    • Autotunes multiple mappings from Program IDs (PIDs) to data tiles.

  4. Implicit Search Space Definition:

    • Eliminates the need to manually define search configurations.

    • Automatically generates configuration flags and exploration spaces.

  5. Kernel Arguments Management:

    • Automates the handling of kernel arguments, including tensor sizes and strides.

    • Lifts global variables and (nested) closures into kernel arguments, allowing better templating.

  6. Looping Reductions:

    • Can automatically convert large reductions into looped implementations.

  7. Automated Optimizations:

    • PID swizzling for improved L2 cache reuse.

    • Loop reordering.

    • Persistent kernel strategies.

    • Warp specialization choices, unrolling, and more.

Example

A minimal matrix multiplication kernel in Helion looks like this:

import torch, helion, helion.language as hl

@helion.kernel()
def matmul(x: torch.Tensor, y: torch.Tensor) -> torch.Tensor:
    m, k = x.size()
    k2, n = y.size()
    assert k == k2, f"size mismatch {k} != {k2}"
    out = torch.empty([m, n], dtype=x.dtype, device=x.device)

    for tile_m, tile_n in hl.tile([m, n]):
        acc = hl.zeros([tile_m, tile_n], dtype=torch.float32)
        for tile_k in hl.tile(k):
            acc = torch.addmm(acc, x[tile_m, tile_k], y[tile_k, tile_n])
        out[tile_m, tile_n] = acc

    return out

The code outside the for loops is standard PyTorch code executed on the CPU. It is typically used for tasks like allocating output tensors and performing shape computations.

The code inside the for loops is compiled into a Triton kernel, resulting in a single GPU kernel. A single Helion kernel is always compiled to exactly one GPU kernel.

The hl.tile function subdivides the iteration space (in this case m by n) into tiles. These tiles are executed in parallel on the GPU. Tiling details, such as dimensionality (1D vs 2D), tile sizes, and loop ordering, are automatically determined by Helion’s autotuner. Alternatively, these details can be explicitly specified using the config= argument in helion.kernel.

  • The outer for loop is mapped onto the grid of the generated kernel. The grid size is determined automatically based on the chosen tile size.

  • The inner for loop translates into a loop within the generated kernel, and its tile size is also determined automatically.

Within a Helion kernel, standard PyTorch operators (like torch.addmm) are automatically mapped to Triton operations using TorchInductor. Thus, familiarity with PyTorch means you already know most of Helion. Helion supports a wide range of operations including pointwise (add, sigmoid, etc.), reductions (sum, softmax, etc.), views, and matrix multiplication operations. Arbitrary function calls within a Helion kernel are supported, but must be traceable with make_fx.

Autotuning

The above example can be executed with:

out = matmul(torch.randn([2048, 2048], device="cuda"),
             torch.randn([2048, 2048], device="cuda"))

When a kernel runs for the first time, Helion initiates autotuning. A typical autotuning session produces output similar to:

[0s] Starting DifferentialEvolutionSearch with population=40, generations=20, crossover_rate=0.8
[20s] Initial population: failed=4 min=0.0266 mid=0.1577 max=1.2390 best=Config(block_sizes=[64, 32, 64], loop_orders=[[1, 0]], l2_groupings=[8], range_unroll_factors=[3, 1], range_warp_specializes=[True, False], range_num_stages=[1, 0], range_multi_buffers=[True, True], range_flattens=[None, False], num_warps=4, num_stages=7, indexing='block_ptr', pid_type='persistent_blocked')
[51s] Generation 2: replaced=17 min=0.0266 mid=0.0573 max=0.1331 best=Config(block_sizes=[64, 32, 64], loop_orders=[[1, 0]], l2_groupings=[8], range_unroll_factors=[3, 1], range_warp_specializes=[True, False], range_num_stages=[1, 0], range_multi_buffers=[True, True], range_flattens=[None, False], num_warps=4, num_stages=7, indexing='block_ptr', pid_type='persistent_blocked')
[88s] Generation 3: replaced=18 min=0.0225 mid=0.0389 max=0.1085 best=Config(block_sizes=[64, 64, 16], loop_orders=[[0, 1]], l2_groupings=[4], range_unroll_factors=[0, 1], range_warp_specializes=[None, None], range_num_stages=[0, 0], range_multi_buffers=[None, False], range_flattens=[None, None], num_warps=4, num_stages=6, indexing='pointer', pid_type='flat')
...
[586s] Generation 19: replaced=3 min=0.0184 mid=0.0225 max=0.0287 best=Config(block_sizes=[64, 64, 64], loop_orders=[[0, 1]], l2_groupings=[4], range_unroll_factors=[0, 1], range_warp_specializes=[None, False], range_num_stages=[0, 3], range_multi_buffers=[None, False], range_flattens=[None, None], num_warps=8, num_stages=6, indexing='block_ptr', pid_type='flat')
[586s] Autotuning complete in 586.6s after searching 1520 configs.
One can hardcode the best config and skip autotuning with:
    @helion.kernel(config=helion.Config(block_sizes=[64, 64, 64], loop_orders=[[0, 1]], l2_groupings=[4], range_unroll_factors=[0, 1], range_warp_specializes=[None, False], range_num_stages=[0, 3], range_multi_buffers=[None, False], range_flattens=[None, None], num_warps=8, num_stages=6, indexing='block_ptr', pid_type='flat'))

Because autotuning can be time-consuming (around 10 minutes in the above example), you may want to manually specify the best configuration found from autotuning to avoid repeated tuning:

@helion.kernel(config=helion.Config(
    block_sizes=[64, 64, 64],
    loop_orders=[[0, 1]],
    l2_groupings=[4],
    range_unroll_factors=[0, 1],
    range_warp_specializes=[None, False],
    range_num_stages=[0, 3],
    range_multi_buffers=[None, False],
    range_flattens=[None, None],
    num_warps=8,
    num_stages=6,
    indexing='block_ptr',
    pid_type='flat'
))
def matmul(x: torch.Tensor, y: torch.Tensor) -> torch.Tensor:
    ...

This explicit configuration skips autotuning on subsequent runs.

You can also specify multiple configurations, prompting Helion to perform a more lightweight autotuning process:

@helion.kernel(configs=[
    helion.Config(block_sizes=[[32, 32], [16]], num_warps=4),
    helion.Config(block_sizes=[[64, 64], [32]], num_warps=8),
])
def matmul(x: torch.Tensor, y: torch.Tensor) -> torch.Tensor:
    ...

In this case, Helion evaluates the provided configurations and selects the fastest one.

Additionally, Helion provides programmatic APIs to manage autotuning and configurations directly from your code.

For production deployment, we recommend using ahead-of-time tuned configurations rather than relying on runtime autotuning. The autotuning process can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, making it unsuitable for production environments where predictable performance and startup times are critical.

Understanding Settings vs Config

Helion uses two distinct types of parameters when creating kernels:

Config: GPU Execution Parameters

The examples above show Config parameters like block_sizes, num_warps, and indexing. These control how kernels execute on GPU hardware:

  • Performance-focused: Determine tile sizes, thread allocation, memory access patterns

  • Autotuned: The autotuner searches through different Config combinations to find optimal performance

  • Hardware-dependent: Optimal values vary based on GPU architecture and problem size

Settings: Compilation Control

Settings control how kernels are compiled and the development environment:

  • Development-focused: Debugging output, autotuning behavior, compilation strategies

  • Not autotuned: Remain constant across all kernel configurations

  • Environment-driven: Often set via environment variables

Example combining both:

@helion.kernel(
    # Settings: Control compilation behavior
    use_default_config=True,      # Skip autotuning for development
    print_output_code=True,       # Debug: show generated code
    # Config: Control GPU execution (when not using default)
    # config=helion.Config(block_sizes=[64, 32], num_warps=8)
)
def debug_kernel(x: torch.Tensor, y: torch.Tensor) -> torch.Tensor:
    # Implementation
    pass

Settings for Development and Debugging

When developing kernels with Helion, you might prefer skipping autotuning for faster iteration. To do this, set the environment variable HELION_USE_DEFAULT_CONFIG=1 or use the decorator argument @helion.kernel(use_default_config=True). Warning: The default configuration is slow and not intended for production or performance testing.

To view the generated Triton code, set the environment variable HELION_PRINT_OUTPUT_CODE=1 or include print_output_code=True in the @helion.kernel decorator. This prints the Triton code to stderr, which is helpful for debugging and understanding Helion’s compilation process. One can also use foo_kernel.bind(args).to_triton_code(config) to get the Triton code as a string.

To force autotuning, bypassing provided configurations, set HELION_FORCE_AUTOTUNE=1 or invoke foo_kernel.autotune(args, force=True).

Additional settings are available in the Settings documentation. If both an environment variable and a kernel decorator argument are set, the kernel decorator argument takes precedence, and the environment variable will be ignored.

Enable logging by setting the environment variable HELION_LOGS=all for INFO-level logs, or HELION_LOGS=+all for DEBUG-level logs. Alternatively, you can specify logging for specific modules using a comma-separated list (e.g., HELION_LOGS=+helion.runtime.kernel).

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