Software-Defined Tensor Streaming Multiprocessor for Large-Scale Machine Learning

A system contains a network of processors arranged in a plurality of nodes. Each node comprises a respective plurality of processors connected via local links, and different nodes are connected via global links. The processors of the network communicate with each other to establish a global counter for the network, enabling deterministic communication between the processors of the network. A compiler is configured to explicitly schedule communication traffic across the global and local links of the network of processors based upon the deterministic links between the processors, which enable software-scheduled networking with explicit send or receive instructions executed by functional units of the processors at specific times, to establish a specific ordering of operations performed by the network of processors. In some embodiments, the processors of the network of processors are tensor streaming processors (TSPs).