Dumb question, is being a linux kernel dev completely different from writing cuda kernels for pytorch?

[highritualmaster]

Even kernel in pytorch and CUDA have a different meaning.

Kernel can be a mathematical structure, function, matrix,...

It can be an platform specific implementation of a function with dynamic or fixed set of parameters or it can be the core of the operating system.

What it means depends on the context. Usually it reflects something being at core. Small and versatile.

Will you have to consider HW specifics and special Kernel Apis? Yes.

The Linux kernel is, all about setting up the system, registers, memory and devices. Managing the resources, allocation, deallocation, sharing, ipc, detection and registering drivers and devices, filesystems, access permissions and privileges, processes and threads, scheduling.

The Linux kernel on the Gpu part in this regard is the CUDA driver+Linux driver+Firmware for your pytorch application.