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MLSystems Book Newsletter

Welcome.

Understanding and building modern AI systems 🚀

Everyone wants to be an astronaut 👩‍🚀. Not enough people are being trained to build the rockets that get them there.

That is the problem with AI right now, and it is why this community exists.

The Gap Everyone’s Missing

Everyone wants to use AI. Very few people get the chance to learn how to build the systems that make it work at scale. The knowledge exists, but it is scattered across research groups, companies, and a handful of courses. Most people never see the full picture.

Who optimizes models to run on phones? Who deploys systems serving millions of users? Who designs the chips, builds the frameworks, creates the deployment pipelines? Who debugs why a model crashes in production?

You cannot have astronauts without engineers building the rocket ships, running mission control, and solving the thousand problems that keep them alive.

You cannot have an AI powered future without engineers who understand how these systems work from start to finish.

This is not computer science. It is not software engineering. It is not electrical engineering.

It is a new discipline, and it is taking shape right now.

We’ve Been Here Before

In the 1970s, when computing exploded, we realized that no single field had the full story. Computer science alone was not enough. Electrical engineering alone was not enough.

So we created computer engineering, a discipline that understood the stack from transistors to operating systems.

AI is having that moment now. We need engineers who understand the complete system, from silicon to cloud, training to deployment, and algorithms to real world constraints.

We need AI systems engineers. And we need more places teaching people how to become one.

That is what this community is here to build.

What You’ll Get

I will share:

Ways to understand how modern AI systems are designed, built, and operated end to end

Hands on work that exposes performance, memory, and systems tradeoffs

Teaching approaches and materials for educators in this space

Perspectives from people building and debugging real world AI systems

Opportunities to learn alongside others who care about doing this well

No spam. Just practical knowledge when there is something worth sharing, such as a new chapter release or a new lab.

Why I’m Doing This

I’m Vijay Janapa Reddi. I’m a professor at Harvard University, but this isn’t about me or any one institution.

We are at an inflection point. AI systems engineering is emerging as its own discipline. If we do not train engineers at scale, we will be missing the people who can actually build the AI powered future everyone keeps predicting.

Part of why I care so much about this is personal. Everything I learned came from people who shared their knowledge with me. Mentors, teachers, and colleagues opened doors and showed me how the systems behind modern computing really work. I would not be here without that.

Building this community is my way of paying it forward and helping make sure the next generation has the same chance.

That is what drives me. If it resonates with you, I’m glad you’re here.

Contact me any time. I read every message, and I’m genuinely curious what brought you here.

Keep learning,

Vijay 📚

P.S. What made you interested in AI systems? Building something? Teaching it? Just exploring? Share with me so I can understand what our community needs most.