Complete LLM Engineering Mastery: From Scratch to 124M GPT

A full-stack, zero-to-hero journey through every core component of modern large language models — from Feedforward & Residuals (Dynamic Programming, LayerNorm, Pre-Norm) to Decoder-Only Architecture (autoregressive, KV caching, Mini-GPT), Encoder-Decoder Transformers (cross-attention, seq2seq, Mini-T5), Training Loop & Backpropagation (autograd, gradient descent, TinyShakespeare), Inference & KV Cache (10x faster generation), Beam Search & Sampling (priority queues, top-k, nucleus), Tokenization & Vocabulary (BPE, Tries, Hash Maps), Byte-level BPE (UTF-8, GPT-2 compatible), Scaling Laws & Optimization (Chinchilla, FlashAttention, LoRA), culminating in the Capstone: 124M GPT from Scratch (full model, tokenizer, training, generation — no frameworks), and finally FlashAttention from Scratch (tiling, online softmax, 3x faster, 50% less memory). Build, train, optimize, and deploy GPT-class models with 100% PyTorch, no abstractions, full control — exactly how OpenAI, Meta, and xAI do it.

Transformer Mastery Course: From DSA to Generative AI

A Complete Roadmap with Deep Algorithmic Understanding

Transformer Mastery Course: From DSA to Generative AI

A Complete Roadmap with Deep Algorithmic Understanding


Course Title

"Transformers: The Algorithmic Engine of Modern AI"
Data Structures, Algorithms, and Generative Intelligence


Course Overview

This course transforms Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA) students into Transformer experts by teaching the core algorithms behind GPT, BERT, Llama, and beyond — without black-box magic.

Goal: Understand how Transformers work at the algorithmic level, implement them from scratch, and optimize them using DSA principles.


Course Roadmap (12 Weeks)

Week Module Core DSA Focus Project
1 Math & Tensors Arrays, Matrices, Vector Ops NumPy → PyTorch
2 Attention is All You Need Graphs, Hashing Build Scaled Dot-Product Attention
3 Multi-Head & Self-Attention Parallelism, Divide & Conquer Multi-Head from Scratch
4 Positional Encoding Hash Functions, Signal Processing Sinusoidal vs Learned PE
5 Feedforward & Residuals Dynamic Programming, Memoization LayerNorm + Residual
6 Decoder-Only Architecture Autoregressive DP, Caching Mini-GPT (64-dim)
7 Training Loop & Backprop Gradient Descent, Computation Graph Train on TinyShakespeare
8 Inference & KV Cache Memoization, Space Optimization 10x Faster Generation
9 Beam Search & Sampling Priority Queues, Heaps Top-k, Nucleus Sampling
10 Tokenization & Vocabulary Tries, Hash Maps BPE from Scratch
11 Scaling Laws & Optimization Big-O, Parallelism FlashAttention, LoRA
12 Capstone: Build Your GPT Full Stack 124M GPT from Scratch

Core Algorithm: Transformer Step-by-Step (Pseudocode + DSA)

# ========================================
# TRANSFORMER ALGORITHM (Decoder-Only)
# ========================================
def transformer_forward(input_ids, past_kv=None):
    """
    DSA: Arrays, Hashing, Graphs, DP (KV Cache)
    """
    # 1. Token → Embedding (O(V) → O(d) via Hash Map)
    x = embedding_lookup(input_ids) * sqrt(d_model)

    # 2. Add Positional Encoding (Deterministic Hash: pos → vector)
    x = x + positional_encoding(seq_len)

    # 3. For each layer: Attention + FFN
    new_kv_cache = []
    for layer in transformer_layers:
        # === SELF-ATTENTION (Graph Algorithm) ===
        Q, K, V = linear_project(x)           # O(n * d)
        scores = matmul(Q, K.T) / sqrt(d_k)    # O(n²) → Adjacency Matrix
        mask = causal_triangle_mask()         # Lower triangular
        probs = softmax(scores + mask)
        context = matmul(probs, V)            # Weighted sum

        x = residual_add(x, context)
        x = layer_norm(x)

        # === FEEDFORWARD (Dense Array Ops) ===
        x = residual_add(x, ffn(x))
        x = layer_norm(x)

        # Cache K, V for next token (DP Memoization)
        new_kv_cache.append((K, V))

    # 4. Final LM Head
    logits = linear(x, vocab_size)
    return logits, new_kv_cache

Key DSA Concepts in Transformers

Transformer Part DSA Concept Why It Matters
input_ids → embeddings Hash Map (Dict) O(1) token lookup
QKV Projection Matrix Multiplication O(n²d) bottleneck
Attention Scores Adjacency Matrix (Graph) Tokens = nodes, attention = edges
Causal Mask Triangular Array Enforces autoregression
KV Cache Memoization (DP) Avoid recomputing past
Beam Search Min-Heap (Priority Queue) Track top-k sequences
BPE Tokenization Trie + Greedy Subword merging
LayerNorm Statistics on Arrays Stabilize training

Week-by-Week Breakdown

Week 1: Math & Tensors

# Task: Implement matmul from scratch
def matmul(A, B):
    return [[sum(a*b for a,b in zip(row, col)) 
             for col in zip(*B)] for row in A]
  • Arrays, Broadcasting, Einstein Summation
  • PyTorch Tensors → torch.einsum

Week 2: Attention Mechanism

def scaled_dot_product_attention(Q, K, V, mask=None):
    d_k = Q.size(-1)
    scores = Q @ K.transpose(-2,-1) / sqrt(d_k)  # Graph weights
    if mask: scores = scores.masked_fill(mask == 0, -inf)
    probs = softmax(scores)
    return probs @ V
  • Graph Interpretation: Attention = weighted graph
  • Time Complexity: O(n²)

Week 3: Multi-Head Attention

# DSA: Parallel Processing (like MapReduce)
heads = [attention_head_i(x) for i in range(h)]
output = concat(heads) @ W_o
  • Split → Compute → Merge (Divide & Conquer)

Week 4: Positional Encoding

# Hash Function: position → unique vector
pe[pos, 2i]   = sin(pos / 10000^{2i/d})
pe[pos, 2i+1] = cos(pos / 10000^{2i/d})
  • No learning needed → deterministic
  • Alternative: Learned PE (trainable array)

Week 6: Build Mini-GPT

class MiniGPT(nn.Module):
    def __init__(self, vocab=1000, d_model=64, n_layer=4):
        self.token_emb = nn.Embedding(vocab, d_model)
        self.pos_emb = nn.Parameter(torch.zeros(1, 128, d_model))
        self.blocks = nn.ModuleList([Block() for _ in range(n_layer)])
        self.ln_f = nn.LayerNorm(d_model)
        self.head = nn.Linear(d_model, vocab)
  • Train on TinyShakespeare (1MB text)

Week 8: KV Cache (Speed Hack)

# Before: O(n²) per token
# After: O(n) per token → 100x faster!
if past_kv is not None:
    past_k, past_v = past_kv
    K = torch.cat([past_k, K], dim=1)
    V = torch.cat([past_v, V], dim=1)

Week 9: Beam Search with Heap

import heapq
heap = []  # (score, sequence)
heapq.heappush(heap, (-prob, [token]))
best = heapq.nsmallest(k, heap)

Week 10: BPE Tokenization (Trie + Greedy)

def get_stats(ids):
    counts = {}
    for pair in zip(ids, ids[1:]):
        counts[pair] = counts.get(pair, 0) + 1
    return counts  # Hash Map

Capstone Project: Build Your Own GPT

Component Implementation
Model 124M GPT (like GPT-2 small)
Tokenizer BPE from scratch
Training 100K steps on OpenWebText
Inference KV Cache + Beam Search
Optimization FlashAttention, LoRA

Learning Resources

Resource Link
Original Paper Attention is All You Need
Annotated The Illustrated Transformer
Code nanoGPT by Andrej Karpathy
Course Stanford CS224N, MIT 6.S191

Assessment & Certification

Task Weight
Weekly Quizzes (DSA in Transformers) 20%
3 Coding Assignments 30%
Midterm: Build BERT Tokenizer + Attention 20%
Final Project: Train & Deploy GPT 30%

Certificate: Certified Transformer Architect (with GitHub portfolio)


Final Words

"Transformers are not magic — they are algorithms built on arrays, graphs, and heaps."

This course turns DSA students into AI builders.


Bonus: One-Page Cheat Sheet

TRANSFORMER = Embedding
            + Positional Encoding
            + N × (MultiHeadAttention + FFN + Residual + LayerNorm)
            + LM Head

ATTENTION(Q,K,V) = softmax(QK^T / √d_k) × V

GENERATION:
  while not EOS:
      logits, kv_cache = model(token, kv_cache)
      token = sample(logits)

DSA MAP:
  Token → Hash Map
  Position → Sinusoid Hash
  Attention → Graph
  KV Cache → DP Memo
  Beam → Min-Heap
  BPE → Trie + Greedy

Ready to launch?
Let me generate:
- Full syllabus PDF
- Slide deck
- Jupyter notebooks
- C++ version
- Interview prep kit

Just say the word!

Last updated: Nov 09, 2025

Complete LLM Engineering Mastery: From Scratch to 124M GPT

A full-stack, zero-to-hero journey through every core component of modern large language models — from Feedforward & Residuals (Dynamic Programming, LayerNorm, Pre-Norm) to Decoder-Only Architecture (autoregressive, KV caching, Mini-GPT), Encoder-Decoder Transformers (cross-attention, seq2seq, Mini-T5), Training Loop & Backpropagation (autograd, gradient descent, TinyShakespeare), Inference & KV Cache (10x faster generation), Beam Search & Sampling (priority queues, top-k, nucleus), Tokenization & Vocabulary (BPE, Tries, Hash Maps), Byte-level BPE (UTF-8, GPT-2 compatible), Scaling Laws & Optimization (Chinchilla, FlashAttention, LoRA), culminating in the Capstone: 124M GPT from Scratch (full model, tokenizer, training, generation — no frameworks), and finally FlashAttention from Scratch (tiling, online softmax, 3x faster, 50% less memory). Build, train, optimize, and deploy GPT-class models with 100% PyTorch, no abstractions, full control — exactly how OpenAI, Meta, and xAI do it.

Transformer Mastery Course: From DSA to Generative AI

A Complete Roadmap with Deep Algorithmic Understanding

Transformer Mastery Course: From DSA to Generative AI

A Complete Roadmap with Deep Algorithmic Understanding


Course Title

"Transformers: The Algorithmic Engine of Modern AI"
Data Structures, Algorithms, and Generative Intelligence


Course Overview

This course transforms Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA) students into Transformer experts by teaching the core algorithms behind GPT, BERT, Llama, and beyond — without black-box magic.

Goal: Understand how Transformers work at the algorithmic level, implement them from scratch, and optimize them using DSA principles.


Course Roadmap (12 Weeks)

Week Module Core DSA Focus Project
1 Math & Tensors Arrays, Matrices, Vector Ops NumPy → PyTorch
2 Attention is All You Need Graphs, Hashing Build Scaled Dot-Product Attention
3 Multi-Head & Self-Attention Parallelism, Divide & Conquer Multi-Head from Scratch
4 Positional Encoding Hash Functions, Signal Processing Sinusoidal vs Learned PE
5 Feedforward & Residuals Dynamic Programming, Memoization LayerNorm + Residual
6 Decoder-Only Architecture Autoregressive DP, Caching Mini-GPT (64-dim)
7 Training Loop & Backprop Gradient Descent, Computation Graph Train on TinyShakespeare
8 Inference & KV Cache Memoization, Space Optimization 10x Faster Generation
9 Beam Search & Sampling Priority Queues, Heaps Top-k, Nucleus Sampling
10 Tokenization & Vocabulary Tries, Hash Maps BPE from Scratch
11 Scaling Laws & Optimization Big-O, Parallelism FlashAttention, LoRA
12 Capstone: Build Your GPT Full Stack 124M GPT from Scratch

Core Algorithm: Transformer Step-by-Step (Pseudocode + DSA)

# ========================================
# TRANSFORMER ALGORITHM (Decoder-Only)
# ========================================
def transformer_forward(input_ids, past_kv=None):
    """
    DSA: Arrays, Hashing, Graphs, DP (KV Cache)
    """
    # 1. Token → Embedding (O(V) → O(d) via Hash Map)
    x = embedding_lookup(input_ids) * sqrt(d_model)

    # 2. Add Positional Encoding (Deterministic Hash: pos → vector)
    x = x + positional_encoding(seq_len)

    # 3. For each layer: Attention + FFN
    new_kv_cache = []
    for layer in transformer_layers:
        # === SELF-ATTENTION (Graph Algorithm) ===
        Q, K, V = linear_project(x)           # O(n * d)
        scores = matmul(Q, K.T) / sqrt(d_k)    # O(n²) → Adjacency Matrix
        mask = causal_triangle_mask()         # Lower triangular
        probs = softmax(scores + mask)
        context = matmul(probs, V)            # Weighted sum

        x = residual_add(x, context)
        x = layer_norm(x)

        # === FEEDFORWARD (Dense Array Ops) ===
        x = residual_add(x, ffn(x))
        x = layer_norm(x)

        # Cache K, V for next token (DP Memoization)
        new_kv_cache.append((K, V))

    # 4. Final LM Head
    logits = linear(x, vocab_size)
    return logits, new_kv_cache

Key DSA Concepts in Transformers

Transformer Part DSA Concept Why It Matters
input_ids → embeddings Hash Map (Dict) O(1) token lookup
QKV Projection Matrix Multiplication O(n²d) bottleneck
Attention Scores Adjacency Matrix (Graph) Tokens = nodes, attention = edges
Causal Mask Triangular Array Enforces autoregression
KV Cache Memoization (DP) Avoid recomputing past
Beam Search Min-Heap (Priority Queue) Track top-k sequences
BPE Tokenization Trie + Greedy Subword merging
LayerNorm Statistics on Arrays Stabilize training

Week-by-Week Breakdown

Week 1: Math & Tensors

# Task: Implement matmul from scratch
def matmul(A, B):
    return [[sum(a*b for a,b in zip(row, col)) 
             for col in zip(*B)] for row in A]
  • Arrays, Broadcasting, Einstein Summation
  • PyTorch Tensors → torch.einsum

Week 2: Attention Mechanism

def scaled_dot_product_attention(Q, K, V, mask=None):
    d_k = Q.size(-1)
    scores = Q @ K.transpose(-2,-1) / sqrt(d_k)  # Graph weights
    if mask: scores = scores.masked_fill(mask == 0, -inf)
    probs = softmax(scores)
    return probs @ V
  • Graph Interpretation: Attention = weighted graph
  • Time Complexity: O(n²)

Week 3: Multi-Head Attention

# DSA: Parallel Processing (like MapReduce)
heads = [attention_head_i(x) for i in range(h)]
output = concat(heads) @ W_o
  • Split → Compute → Merge (Divide & Conquer)

Week 4: Positional Encoding

# Hash Function: position → unique vector
pe[pos, 2i]   = sin(pos / 10000^{2i/d})
pe[pos, 2i+1] = cos(pos / 10000^{2i/d})
  • No learning needed → deterministic
  • Alternative: Learned PE (trainable array)

Week 6: Build Mini-GPT

class MiniGPT(nn.Module):
    def __init__(self, vocab=1000, d_model=64, n_layer=4):
        self.token_emb = nn.Embedding(vocab, d_model)
        self.pos_emb = nn.Parameter(torch.zeros(1, 128, d_model))
        self.blocks = nn.ModuleList([Block() for _ in range(n_layer)])
        self.ln_f = nn.LayerNorm(d_model)
        self.head = nn.Linear(d_model, vocab)
  • Train on TinyShakespeare (1MB text)

Week 8: KV Cache (Speed Hack)

# Before: O(n²) per token
# After: O(n) per token → 100x faster!
if past_kv is not None:
    past_k, past_v = past_kv
    K = torch.cat([past_k, K], dim=1)
    V = torch.cat([past_v, V], dim=1)

Week 9: Beam Search with Heap

import heapq
heap = []  # (score, sequence)
heapq.heappush(heap, (-prob, [token]))
best = heapq.nsmallest(k, heap)

Week 10: BPE Tokenization (Trie + Greedy)

def get_stats(ids):
    counts = {}
    for pair in zip(ids, ids[1:]):
        counts[pair] = counts.get(pair, 0) + 1
    return counts  # Hash Map

Capstone Project: Build Your Own GPT

Component Implementation
Model 124M GPT (like GPT-2 small)
Tokenizer BPE from scratch
Training 100K steps on OpenWebText
Inference KV Cache + Beam Search
Optimization FlashAttention, LoRA

Learning Resources

Resource Link
Original Paper Attention is All You Need
Annotated The Illustrated Transformer
Code nanoGPT by Andrej Karpathy
Course Stanford CS224N, MIT 6.S191

Assessment & Certification

Task Weight
Weekly Quizzes (DSA in Transformers) 20%
3 Coding Assignments 30%
Midterm: Build BERT Tokenizer + Attention 20%
Final Project: Train & Deploy GPT 30%

Certificate: Certified Transformer Architect (with GitHub portfolio)


Final Words

"Transformers are not magic — they are algorithms built on arrays, graphs, and heaps."

This course turns DSA students into AI builders.


Bonus: One-Page Cheat Sheet

TRANSFORMER = Embedding
            + Positional Encoding
            + N × (MultiHeadAttention + FFN + Residual + LayerNorm)
            + LM Head

ATTENTION(Q,K,V) = softmax(QK^T / √d_k) × V

GENERATION:
  while not EOS:
      logits, kv_cache = model(token, kv_cache)
      token = sample(logits)

DSA MAP:
  Token → Hash Map
  Position → Sinusoid Hash
  Attention → Graph
  KV Cache → DP Memo
  Beam → Min-Heap
  BPE → Trie + Greedy

Ready to launch?
Let me generate:
- Full syllabus PDF
- Slide deck
- Jupyter notebooks
- C++ version
- Interview prep kit

Just say the word!

Last updated: Nov 09, 2025