This tutorial implements GPU kernel profiling using NVIDIA's open-source Nsight Python interface. The tool allows developers to mark specific code sections with `nsight.annotate` and decorate benchmark functions with `nsight.analyze.kernel` to obtain a pandas DataFrame of hardware metrics.
Key points
- Nsight Python interfaces with NVIDIA's kernel profilers for GPU analysis.
- It provides hardware metrics per annotated region and configuration.
- The tool is usable in Jupyter and Colab environments.
- Upcoming release adds experimental CUPTI backend and custom collectors.
The library integrates Nsight Compute directly with the running Python process, enabling its use within environments like Jupyter and Colab. The upcoming 1.1 release will introduce an experimental CUPTI backend, explicit tool management, and custom information collectors.
The tutorial utilizes a free Colab T4 instance, requiring installation of a current Nsight Compute alongside the version provided by Colab. It covers profiling a first kernel, determining the necessary number of measurement runs, and analyzing the impact of cache and clock control on the same kernel.
Further steps include sweeping matrix sizes in fp32 and fp16 to derive a TFLOP/s metric, using hardware counters to differentiate between compute-bound and memory-bound work, measuring kernel fusion by bytes moved, and recording clocks and temperature per run. It also compares the CUPTI backend with Nsight Compute and retains raw reports for in-depth analysis.
Sources and references
Original report
NVIDIA Nsight Python Tutorial: How to Profile GPU Kernels
MarkTechPost
Read on MarkTechPost (opens in a new tab)Linked in the original report
Ref 00MXS8HD
Cite this
APA
Interestana AI Editorial. (2026, October 22). NVIDIA Nsight Python Tutorial Profiles GPU Kernels. Interestana. https://interestana.com/articles/nvidia-nsight-python-tutorial-how-to-profile-gpu-kernels-00mxs8hd
MLA
“NVIDIA Nsight Python Tutorial Profiles GPU Kernels.” Interestana, 22 Oct. 2026, interestana.com/articles/nvidia-nsight-python-tutorial-how-to-profile-gpu-kernels-00mxs8hd.
Chicago
Interestana AI Editorial. “NVIDIA Nsight Python Tutorial Profiles GPU Kernels.” Interestana, October 22, 2026. https://interestana.com/articles/nvidia-nsight-python-tutorial-how-to-profile-gpu-kernels-00mxs8hd.
BibTeX
@misc{interestana_00mxs8hd,
author = {{Interestana AI Editorial}},
title = {{NVIDIA Nsight Python Tutorial Profiles GPU Kernels}},
howpublished = {Interestana},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
url = {https://interestana.com/articles/nvidia-nsight-python-tutorial-how-to-profile-gpu-kernels-00mxs8hd},
note = {Summary of reporting by MarkTechPost, https://www.marktechpost.com/2026/10/21/nvidia-nsight-python-tutorial-how-to-profile-gpu-kernels/}
}Credit the source
Original reporting: MarkTechPost, “NVIDIA Nsight Python Tutorial: How to Profile GPU Kernels”, https://www.marktechpost.com/2026/10/21/nvidia-nsight-python-tutorial-how-to-profile-gpu-kernels/(opens in a new tab)
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