A Vertically Integrated AI Stack: Where Cognitive Architectures Like A11 Matter

This article discusses the importance of a vertically integrated AI stack, where every layer from numerics to silicon is co-designed. It explores where a reasoning engine like A11 fits into this stack and how it can improve the overall system.

Details

The article explains that AI systems are no longer just software - they rely on a full vertical stack that spans numerical formats, quantization, compilers, hardware, and more. Companies like NVIDIA, Google, and Cerebras are building these vertically integrated AI stacks, where each layer is co-designed with the layers above and below. However, the article questions where reasoning fits into this stack, and whether a cognitive architecture like A11 can actually improve it. A11 is described as a reasoning architecture that separates intention, constraints, knowledge, and exploration to produce validated realizations. The article argues that A11 belongs at the top of the stack, providing high-level planning and decision-making, rather than being embedded into lower-level components like kernels or RTL. By integrating A11 into the vertical stack, it can enhance compiler decisions, runtime scheduling, and kernel execution, effectively combining the 'brain' (A11) with the 'body' (the hardware stack).