Metadata-Version: 2.4
Name: ffpa-attn
Version: 0.1.3
Summary: FFPA: Yet another Faster Flash Prefill Attention for large headdim, 1.8x~3x faster than SDPA EA.
Author: DefTruth
Maintainer: DefTruth
License: Apache-2.0
Project-URL: Repository, https://github.com/xlite-dev/ffpa-attn
Project-URL: Homepage, https://github.com/xlite-dev/ffpa-attn
Project-URL: GitHub, https://github.com/xlite-dev/ffpa-attn
Project-URL: Documentation, https://ffpa-attn.readthedocs.io
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<div align="center">
  <p align="center">
    <h2>🤖FFPA: Yet another Faster Flash Prefill Attention <br>with O(1)⚡️GPU SRAM complexity for large headdim🐑</h2>
    <a href="https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/13975660308">📚FFPA(Split-D) Blog</a> | <a href="./bench/README.md#bench-l20"> 📈L20 ~1.9x↑🎉 </a> | <a href="./bench/README.md#bench-a30"> 📈A30 ~1.8x↑🎉 </a> | <a href="./bench/README.md#bench-3080"> 📈3080 ~2.9x↑🎉 </a> | <a href="./bench/README.md#bench-4090"> 📈4090 ~2.1x↑🎉 </a>
  </p>
  <img src='https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/447e2937-f7c8-47c8-8550-8c0c71b910e6' width="411px">
  <img src='https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/65a8d564-8fa7-4d66-86b9-e238feb86143' width="411px">
</div>

**FFPA(Split-D)**: Yet another **Faster Flash Prefill Attention** with **Split-D** strategy, achieve **O(1) SRAM complexity** and **O(d/4) register complexity** for large headdim (**> 256**), **1.8x~3x** 🎉 faster than SDPA. Currently, FFPA supports self-attention, cross-attention, grouped/multi-query attention, causal attention with large headdim (D=320~1024). While the standard FlashAttention-2 only support headdim <= 256.

<div align='center'>

|[Self Attention](#example-self)| [Cross/Decode Attention](#example-cross)|[GQA/MQA Attention](#example-gqa)|[Causal Attention](#example-causal)|[Headdim](#ffpa-design)|
|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
|✔️(`Nq = Nkv`)|✔️(`Nq != Nkv`)|✔️(`Nh_q % Nh_kv == 0`)|✔️(`causal mask`)|**32~1024** |

</div>

> [!NOTE]
> FFPA has been tested on `Ampere`, `Ada`, `Hopper`, and `Blackwell` architectures (e.g., A30, L20, 4090, H200, 5090), achieves `1.8×~3×↑🎉` forward (CUDA) and `1.5×~2.5×↑🎉` backward (Triton w/ autotune) speedup over SDPA for headdim `> 256`.

## 📖 Quick Start

<div id="install"></div>

First, install the prebuilt whl from [PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/ffpa-attn/) (required: PyTorch>=2.11.0, CUDA>=13.0, Ubuntu>=22.04):

```bash
pip3 install -U ffpa-attn # (support: sm_{80, 89, 90, 100, 120})
```

Or, you can build [ffpa-attn](https://github.com/xlite-dev/ffpa-attn) from source (recommended: PyTorch>=2.11.0, CUDA>=13.0):
```bash
git clone https://github.com/xlite-dev/ffpa-attn.git
# Then, build the wheel package and install it with pip
cd ffpa-attn && MAX_JOBS=32 python3 setup.py bdist_wheel
# Optional: build ffpa-attn with ccache for faster rebuilds
apt install ccache && bash tools/build_fast.sh bdist_wheel
# Optional: for editable whl, use `pip install -e .` instead.
pip3 install dist/ffpa_attn-*.whl # pip uninstall ffpa-attn -y
```

> [!NOTE]
> FFPA supports **cross-attention** where the query seqlen ``Nq`` may differ from the key/value seqlen ``Nkv``, **GQA / MQA** attention where Q has ``Nh_q`` heads and K/V have ``Nh_kv`` heads (requires ``Nh_q % Nh_kv == 0``; group size = ``Nh_q / Nh_kv``), and **causal attention** (pass ``causal=True``; queries are aligned to the KV tail, i.e. Q row ``r`` attends to ``k <= r + (Nkv - Nq)``, which requires ``Nkv >= Nq``). K/V must share the same ``Nh_kv`` and ``Nkv``.

<div id="example-self"></div>

Minimal usage example — **Self-Attention** (B=1, H=32, N=8192, D=512):
```python
import torch
import torch.nn.functional as F
from ffpa_attn import ffpa_attn_func

# D: 32, 64, ..., 320, ..., 1024 (FA-2 <= 256, FFPA supports up to 1024).
B, H, N, D = 1, 32, 8192, 512 # batch_size, num_heads, seq_len, head_dim
q = torch.randn(B, H, N, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")
k = torch.randn(B, H, N, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")
v = torch.randn(B, H, N, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")

# FFPA self attention; layout follows SDPA: (B, H, N, D).
out = ffpa_attn_func(q, k, v)  # -> torch.Tensor of shape (B, H, N, D)
print(out.shape, out.dtype)

ref = F.scaled_dot_product_attention(q, k, v)
print(f"vs SDPA max_abs_err={(out - ref).abs().max().item():.4e}")
```

<div id="example-cross"></div>

**Cross-Attention** or **Decoding-Attention** example (short query, long KV cache; `Nq != Nkv`):
```python
import torch
import torch.nn.functional as F
from ffpa_attn import ffpa_attn_func

# Short-query / long-KV, e.g. incremental decoding or cross-attention:
# Q: [B, H, Nq, D], K/V: [B, H, Nkv, D]; Nq can differ from Nkv but Nk==Nv required.
B, H, D = 1, 8, 512
Nq, Nkv = 128, 8192
q = torch.randn(B, H, Nq,  D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")
k = torch.randn(B, H, Nkv, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")
v = torch.randn(B, H, Nkv, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")

out = ffpa_attn_func(q, k, v)  # -> (B, H, Nq, D) = (1, 8, 128, 512)
print(out.shape, out.dtype)

ref = F.scaled_dot_product_attention(q, k, v)
print(f"vs SDPA max_abs_err={(out - ref).abs().max().item():.4e}")
```

<div id="example-gqa"></div>

**Grouped-Query / Multi-Query Attention** example (Q has more heads than K/V):
```python
import torch
import torch.nn.functional as F
from ffpa_attn import ffpa_attn_func

# GQA: Q has Nh_q heads, K/V share Nh_kv heads; group_size = Nh_q / Nh_kv.
# Typical Llama-3-style 32/8 ratio; MQA is the Nh_kv==1 special case.
# FFPA targets large headdim so we use D=512 here (FA-2 tops out at D=256).
B, D, Nq, Nkv = 1, 512, 1024, 4096
Nh_q, Nh_kv = 32, 8  # group_size = 4
q = torch.randn(B, Nh_q,  Nq,  D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")
k = torch.randn(B, Nh_kv, Nkv, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")
v = torch.randn(B, Nh_kv, Nkv, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")

out = ffpa_attn_func(q, k, v)  # -> (B, Nh_q, Nq, D) = (1, 32, 1024, 512)
print(out.shape, out.dtype)

# Reference: replicate K/V along head dim to match Q's head count.
group_size = Nh_q // Nh_kv
k_ref = k.repeat_interleave(group_size, dim=1)
v_ref = v.repeat_interleave(group_size, dim=1)
ref = F.scaled_dot_product_attention(q, k_ref, v_ref)
print(f"vs SDPA max_abs_err={(out - ref).abs().max().item():.4e}")
```

<div id="example-causal"></div>

**Causal Attention** example (self-attention causal; also supports chunked / decoding prefill with `Nkv > Nq`):
```python
import torch
import torch.nn.functional as F
from ffpa_attn import ffpa_attn_func

# Causal self-attention: Q row r attends to k <= r (standard triangular mask).
# FFPA is tuned for large headdim, so we keep D=512 as in the self-attn example.
B, H, N, D = 1, 8, 4096, 512
q = torch.randn(B, H, N, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")
k = torch.randn(B, H, N, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")
v = torch.randn(B, H, N, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")

out = ffpa_attn_func(q, k, v, causal=True)
print(out.shape, out.dtype)

ref = F.scaled_dot_product_attention(q, k, v, is_causal=True)
print(f"vs SDPA max_abs_err={(out - ref).abs().max().item():.4e}")

# Chunked / decoding prefill: Nq < Nkv, queries aligned to the KV tail
# so Q row r attends to k <= r + (Nkv - Nq). Requires Nkv >= Nq.
Nq, Nkv = 128, 8192
q = torch.randn(B, H, Nq,  D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")
k = torch.randn(B, H, Nkv, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")
v = torch.randn(B, H, Nkv, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")
out = ffpa_attn_func(q, k, v, causal=True)
print(out.shape, out.dtype)  # (1, 8, 128, 512)
```

<div id="example-backward"></div>

**Backward Pass** example (compare dQ / dK / dV against SDPA):
```python
import math
import torch
import torch.nn.functional as F
from ffpa_attn import ffpa_attn_func

# Focus on a large-headdim case where FFPA is typically used.
B, H, N, D = 1, 32, 8192, 512
scale = 1.0 / math.sqrt(D)

q = torch.randn(B, H, N, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda", requires_grad=True)
k = torch.randn(B, H, N, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda", requires_grad=True)
v = torch.randn(B, H, N, D, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda", requires_grad=True)

out = ffpa_attn_func(
  q,
  k,
  v,
  softmax_scale=scale,
)
out.sum().backward()

dq = q.grad.detach().clone()
dk = k.grad.detach().clone()
dv = v.grad.detach().clone()

q_ref = q.detach().clone().requires_grad_(True)
k_ref = k.detach().clone().requires_grad_(True)
v_ref = v.detach().clone().requires_grad_(True)
out_ref = F.scaled_dot_product_attention(q_ref, k_ref, v_ref, scale=scale)
out_ref.sum().backward()

print(f"dQ vs SDPA dQ max_abs_err={(dq - q_ref.grad).abs().max().item():.4e}")
print(f"dK vs SDPA dK max_abs_err={(dk - k_ref.grad).abs().max().item():.4e}")
print(f"dV vs SDPA dV max_abs_err={(dv - v_ref.grad).abs().max().item():.4e}")
```

Runnable examples are provided under [`examples`](./examples). The performance (forward and backward) snapshot for the NVIDIA L20 with Headdim=512 is listed below:

<div align='center'>

| Case | dtype | Nq/Nkv | allclose | FFPA / SDPA | speedup |
|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
| self-attn | fp16 | 8192/8192 | ✅ | 46.7 / 74.7 ms | 1.60x |
| cross-attn | fp16 | 1024/8192 | ✅ | 6.32 / 9.94 ms | 1.57x |
| gqa | fp16 | 8192/8192 | ✅ | 46.4 / 74.8 ms | 1.61x |
| causal | fp16 | 8192/8192 | ✅ | 24.3 / 37.4 ms | 1.54x |
| non-aligned | fp16 | 8191/8191 | ✅ | 12.3 / 19.0 ms | 1.55x |
| self-attn | bf16 | 8192/8192 | ✅ | 46.5 / 74.7 ms | 1.61x |
| cross-attn | bf16 | 1024/8192 | ✅ | 6.29 / 9.95 ms | 1.58x |
| gqa | bf16 | 8192/8192 | ✅ | 46.2 / 74.7 ms | 1.62x |
| causal | bf16 | 8192/8192 | ✅ | 24.2 / 37.5 ms | 1.55x |
| non-aligned | bf16 | 8191/8191 | ✅ | 12.3 / 19.0 ms | 1.55x |

</div>

## 📖 Split-D

<a id="ffpa-design"></a>

We have extended FlashAttention for large headdim (D > 256) by implementing **Fine-grained Tiling** at the **MMA level (GEMM style)** for the Q@K^T and P@V matmul (namely, **Split-D**). This approach results in a constant SRAM usage of Br * 16 or Bc * 16 (Br = Bc) for Q, K, and V, leading to an overall SRAM complexity of O(Br * 16) ≈ O(1) and a register complexity of O(d/4). Consequently, this method allows us to extend headdim > 256 and achieve faster performance compared to SDPA with or without MMA Accumulation F32 (**1.8x~3x** 🎉 faster than SDPA EA).

<div align='center'>
  <img src=https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ed30185b-2e11-4293-832f-43e9003d6ad9 >
</div>

We have named this new attention tiling technique **FFPA: Faster Flash Prefill Attention**. FFPA does not introduce any additional VRAM requirement, so the HBM memory complexity remains the same as FlashAttention.

By leveraging this approach, we can achieve better performance than SDPA EA for very large headdim (D > 256, `FA-2 not supported`). Approximate SRAM and register complexity analysis for FFPA is as follows: (`d`=headdim, `C,Br,Bc`=Constant, `Br=Bc`, let O(C)≈O(1)) 👇

<div align='center'>

|📚Complexity Analysis| 📚FFPA Attention (Split-D)| 📚FlashAttention-2 |
|:---:|:---:|:---:|
|SRAM | O(2xBrx16)≈O(1) | ≈O(3xBrxd), d↑ |
|Register | ≈O(d/4), d↑ | ≈O(d/2), d↑ |
|HBM| ≈FA2≈O(Nd), O | ≈O(Nd), O |
|Extra HBM| ≈FA2≈O(N), m,l | ≈O(N), m,l |

</div>

## 🤔 Why not TMA?

<div id="why-not-tma"></div>

FFPA ships an experimental SM90 TMA path (**tma=True**) that replaces the K/V [cp.async](https://docs.nvidia.com/cuda/parallel-thread-execution/index.html?highlight=cp%2520async#data-movement-and-conversion-instructions-cp-async) global-to-shared transfer with [cp.async.bulk.tensor.2d](https://docs.nvidia.com/cuda/parallel-thread-execution/index.html?highlight=cp%2520async%2520bulk%2520tensor%25202d#data-movement-and-conversion-instructions-cp-async-bulk-tensor). After tuning (K SWIZZLE_128B, 64-col TMA box) it reaches parity with the cp.async baseline, but does not beat it.

**FFPA's Split-D dataflow is a TMA anti-pattern**. TMA wins when single thread instruction can amortise its dispatch cost over a large box, but split-D gives it narrow **Bc** x **kMmaAtomK** slices. It would require a major redesign (**super-tiled K/V on TMA** + **warp-specialized** [WGMMA](https://docs.nvidia.com/cuda/parallel-thread-execution/index.html?highlight=cp%2520async%2520bulk%2520tensor%25202d#asynchronous-warpgroup-level-matrix-instructions)), rather than a drop-in K/V replacement.

## ©️License

<div id="License"></div>

Apache License 2.0

## 🎉Contribute

<div id="Contribute"></div>

How to contribute? Wecome to star⭐️ this repo to support me👆🏻 ~

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## ©️Citations

```BibTeX
@misc{ffpa-attn@2025,
  title={FFPA: Yet another Faster Flash Prefill Attention for large headdim.},
  url={https://github.com/xlite-dev/ffpa-attn.git},
  note={Open-source software available at https://github.com/xlite-dev/ffpa-attn.git},
  author={DefTruth},
  year={2025}
}
```

## 📖 References
<div id="ref"></div>

- [flash-attention](https://github.com/Dao-AILab/flash-attention)
- [LeetCUDA](https://github.com/xlite-dev/LeetCUDA)
- [flashinfer](https://github.com/flashinfer-ai/flashinfer)
