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course: module 11 -- AI numbers, the MX block (lessons 31-33) #1440
Description
What
Continue the course at t27.ai/#/course with a module on the number formats AI chips use: module 11, "AI numbers: the MX block", lessons 31-33, after the lab module.
| # | lesson | widget | what it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | One scale for a block of weights | play-e8m0 |
the player compiles e8m0.t27 (the OCP MX shared scale byte) on seven backends in the browser and runs its tests; it skips what the browser cannot run and says why |
| 32 | The scale byte on a real machine | t27c-e8m0 |
the same spec through native t27c and Zig on the t27c lab: 18 tests pass, 9 invariants proved at compile time |
| 33 | One outlier, many zeros | t27c-ocp-mx (+ t27-vs-nvfp4) |
ocp_mx.t27 on a block of 31 small weights and one outlier: how many each element format flushes to zero; one planted bias bug fails exactly one test |
Rules it follows
- Words and order live in
specs/course/course.t27; the generators write the TypeScript, pages and cards. - The lessons quote only widget output, arithmetic, and constants of OCP MX v1.0 (block of 32; 4-, 6- and 8-bit elements; E8M0 code 255 = NaN, bias 127).
- The core stays 27 lessons (3 x 3 x 3); the lab and the MX module are counted apart, and the spec's own test says so.
Sources
- OCP Microscaling Formats (MX) Specification v1.0.
- feat(numeric): ocp_mx.t27 -- OCP MX v1.0 and OFP8 elements, E8M0 scale, the block conversion t27#6828 (
specs/numeric/ocp_mx.t27, open) andspecs/numeric/e8m0.t27. - arXiv:2606.05017 (GoldenFloat), arXiv:2606.09686 (Golden Ruler).
Part of the widgets epic #1377.
Activity
fix(course): name the two formats that flush none, and MXFP8 E4M3 in …
feat(blog): one outlier, 23 zeros -- the post on course module 11 (#1445