Benchmark metrics
Pointer chasing
In plain English
A dependent sequence of memory loads used to probe latency while limiting the overlap available between accesses.
Technical definition
Pointer chasing follows a chain in which each loaded value determines the address of the next load, creating a serial memory dependency.
Engineering details
Because the next address is unknown until the current load returns, the test limits memory-level parallelism. Cache residency, address distribution, chain length, and concurrent traffic still affect the measured latency. Comparing latency profiles across cores can suggest shared resources or topology.
Why it matters
A latency-distance matrix is indirect evidence, not a physical floorplan. Contention and address mapping can produce apparent groups, and a dependent-load result cannot substitute for sustained bandwidth under many independent loads.
How to read it in InferenceX
The Huawei and Blackwell ports use latency probes to infer resource relationships. Preserve their distinction between observed timing, inferred logical groups, and speculative physical placement.
See the concept in real benchmarks
All articlesThe Huawei-DeepSeek Symbiosis
Ascend 950PR architecture and microbenchmarks, DeepSeek’s Ascend software stack, and the DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash execution profile.
Dissecting Nvidia Blackwell - Tensor Cores, PTX Instructions, SASS, Floorsweep, Yield
Blackwell SM100 microbenchmarks of PTX and SASS instructions, tensor-core shapes, memory copies, cluster scheduling, and floorsweeping.