Build a Large Language Model


Build a Large Language Model cover
Cover of Build a Large Language Model

Build a Large Language Model by Sebastian Raschka is a groundbreaking work that demystifies the process of creating large language models from scratch. Unlike many books that focus solely on using pre-trained models, Raschka takes readers on a comprehensive journey through the entire process of building an LLM.

What makes this book exceptional is its practical, hands-on approach. Raschka doesn’t just explain concepts; he provides step-by-step guidance on implementing each component of an LLM, from data preparation and tokenization to model architecture, training, and evaluation.

The book covers essential topics like transformer architecture, attention mechanisms, positional encoding, and various optimization techniques. It also addresses practical considerations such as hardware requirements, training strategies, and common pitfalls to avoid.

For anyone serious about understanding how LLMs work under the hood or interested in building their own models, this book is an invaluable resource. It’s particularly valuable for machine learning engineers, researchers, and advanced practitioners who want to move beyond simply using pre-trained models.