inference/research
drafthigh · 0.85updated 2026-10-05

Cerebras CSL compiler (cslc) reference

repo
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Fields

id
sources/w7k-cerebras-csl-compiler
Publisher
Cerebras
Kind
repo
Accessed
2026-10-05
notes
The compiler front end for Cerebras' own kernel language, and unusually explicit about its two target architectures: `--arch=ARCH` accepts only `wse2` or `wse3`, defaults to wse2, and 'The architecture you compile for must match the system you intend to run on'. That single line is the whole deployment story for a WSE compiler - there is no cross-generation binary compatibility. Other real constraints from the same reference: `--fabric-dims=W,H` 'for hardware, these must match the actual fabric dimensions of your CS system' (any sufficiently large bounding box works for simulator runs); `--fp16-format` selects f16 (default), cb16 (Cerebras float16, 6-bit exponent 9-bit mantissa, customised bias) or bf16, and the non-IEEE formats 'require comptime-known values'. Output is ELF plus build artifacts, with `--output-json` emitting resolved compile parameters that host code reads back at run time. Debug info (DWARF in ELF) is emitted unless -g0 is passed. Cited for aot, the wse2/wse3 target constraint, and the custom fp16 format - no performance claim.

Notes

The compiler front end for Cerebras' own kernel language, and unusually explicit about its two target architectures: `--arch=ARCH` accepts only `wse2` or `wse3`, defaults to wse2, and 'The architecture you compile for must match the system you intend to run on'. That single line is the whole deployment story for a WSE compiler - there is no cross-generation binary compatibility. Other real constraints from the same reference: `--fabric-dims=W,H` 'for hardware, these must match the actual fabric dimensions of your CS system' (any sufficiently large bounding box works for simulator runs); `--fp16-format` selects f16 (default), cb16 (Cerebras float16, 6-bit exponent 9-bit mantissa, customised bias) or bf16, and the non-IEEE formats 'require comptime-known values'. Output is ELF plus build artifacts, with `--output-json` emitting resolved compile parameters that host code reads back at run time. Debug info (DWARF in ELF) is emitted unless -g0 is passed. Cited for aot, the wse2/wse3 target constraint, and the custom fp16 format - no performance claim.

Cross-references

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