On Linux how to load data on GPU to artificially fill its memory?
Feb 17, 4:25pm

To artificially fill the GPU memory on Linux, you can use tools like PyTorch, TensorFlow, or CUDA to allocate tensors or arrays on the GPU. Here’s how you can do it with PyTorch and CUDA directly:


Using PyTorch

  1. Install PyTorch (if not already installed):

    bash
    pip install torch
  2. Run a Python script to allocate GPU memory:

    python
    import torch
    
    # Check if CUDA (GPU) is available
    if torch.cuda.is_available():
        device = torch.device("cuda")
        print(f"Using GPU: {torch.cuda.get_device_name(0)}")
    else:
        raise RuntimeError("CUDA is not available")
    
    # Allocate a large tensor on the GPU
    # Adjust the size (e.g., 10000x10000) to fill the desired amount of memory
    tensor_size = (10000, 10000)
    tensor = torch.randn(tensor_size, device=device)
    
    print(f"Allocated tensor of size {tensor_size} on GPU")
    print(f"Memory allocated: {torch.cuda.memory_allocated() / 1024**3:.2f} GB")
    print(f"Memory reserved: {torch.cuda.memory_reserved() / 1024**3:.2f} GB")
    
    # Keep the tensor in memory (e.g., sleep or loop)
    input("Press Enter to release memory...")

Using CUDA (C/C++)

If you prefer using CUDA directly, you can write a simple C/C++ program:

  1. Install CUDA Toolkit (if not already installed):
    Follow the NVIDIA CUDA Installation Guide.

  2. Compile and run a CUDA program:

    cpp
    #include <cuda_runtime.h>
    #include <stdio.h>
    
    int main() {
        size_t size = 10000 * 10000 * sizeof(float); // Adjust size as needed
        float *d_array;
    
        cudaMalloc(&d_array, size);
        printf("Allocated %zu bytes on GPU\n", size);
    
        // Keep the memory allocated
        getchar();
    
        cudaFree(d_array);
        return 0;
    }

    Compile with:

    bash
    nvcc fill_gpu_memory.cu -o fill_gpu_memory
    ./fill_gpu_memory

Using TensorFlow

  1. Install TensorFlow (if not already installed):

    bash
    pip install tensorflow-gpu
  2. Run a Python script:

    python
    import tensorflow as tf
    
    if tf.config.list_physical_devices('GPU'):
        print("Using GPU")
    else:
        raise RuntimeError("GPU not available")
    
    # Allocate a large tensor
    tensor = tf.random.normal((10000, 10000))
    print(f"Allocated tensor on GPU")
    
    # Keep the tensor in memory
    input("Press Enter to release memory...")

Notes

  • Adjust the tensor size (10000x10000 in the examples) to fill the desired amount of GPU memory.
  • Monitor GPU memory usage with nvidia-smi in another terminal.
  • Be cautious: Filling GPU memory may cause out-of-memory errors or system instability. Use this for testing or benchmarking only.
Feb 17, 4:25pm

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