# CuTeGen: An LLM-Based Agentic Framework for Generation and Optimization of High-Performance GPU Kernels using CuTe

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.01489 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.01489/

## Key facts

- Cited by 6 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Software engineering coding agents, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use.
- Builds on 19 of its 27 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 1 Apr 2026.

## Placed in

- LLM agents and tool use / [Software engineering coding agents](https://mlsanity.com/agents/software-engineering-coding-agents/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 19 of 19)

- [PyTorch: An Imperative Style, High-Performance Deep Learning Library](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.01703/) (2019)
- [FlashAttention: Fast and Memory-Efficient Exact Attention with IO-Awareness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.14135/) (2022)
- [cuDNN: Efficient Primitives for Deep Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1410.0759/) (2014)
- [KernelBench: Can LLMs Write Efficient GPU Kernels?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.10517/) (2025)
- [CUDA-L1: Improving CUDA Optimization via Contrastive Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.14111/) (2025)
- [Towards Robust Agentic CUDA Kernel Benchmarking, Verification, and Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.14279/) (2025)
- [Astra: A Multi-Agent System for GPU Kernel Performance Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.07506/) (2025)
- [CudaForge: An Agent Framework with Hardware Feedback for CUDA Kernel Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.01884/) (2025)
- [AutoTriton: Automatic Triton Programming with Reinforcement Learning in LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.05687/) (2025)
- [ThunderKittens: Simple, Fast, and Adorable AI Kernels](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.20399/) (2024)
- [CUDA-LLM: LLMs Can Write Efficient CUDA Kernels](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.09092/) (2025)
- [Comparing Llama-2 and GPT-3 LLMs for HPC kernels generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.07103/) (2023)
- [K-Search: LLM Kernel Generation via Co-Evolving Intrinsic World Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.19128/) (2026)
- [Evaluation of OpenAI Codex for HPC Parallel Programming Models Kernel Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.15121/) (2023)
- [CodeRosetta: Pushing the Boundaries of Unsupervised Code Translation for Parallel Programming](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.20527/) (2024)
- [TritonForge: Profiling-Guided Framework for Automated Triton Kernel Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.09196/) (2025)
- [Autocomp: A Powerful and Portable Code Optimizer for Tensor Accelerators](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.18574/) (2025)
- [AscendKernelGen: A Systematic Study of LLM-Based Kernel Generation for Neural Processing Units](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.07160/) (2026)
- [Towards Automated Kernel Generation in the Era of LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.15727/) (2026)

## Built on by (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [From Tokens to Regions: CUDA-Sensitive Instruction Tuning for GPU Kernel Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.16231/) (2026)
- [CANN Bench: Benchmarking Agent Generated Kernels against Real NPU and Algorithmic Limits](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.20518/) (2026)
- [Learning When to Optimize: Verified Optimization Skills from Expert GPU-Kernel Lineages](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.28213/) (2026)
- [GPU Forecasters: Language Models as Selective Surrogates for Kernel Runtime Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.31464/) (2026)
- [KernelBrain: Coarse-to-Fine, Budget-Aware Search for Agentic GPU Kernel Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.02611/) (2026)
- [HIERA: Workload-Aware Planning Across Implementation Spaces for GPU Kernel Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.21157/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

High-performance GPU kernels are critical to modern machine learning systems, yet developing them remains a manual, expert-driven process. Recent work has explored using LLMs to automate kernel generation, but generated kernels still fall short of carefully tuned references on standardized benchmarks. We present CuTeGen, an agentic GPU kernel synthesis framework that treats kernel development as a structured generate-test-refine workflow over the CuTe abstraction layer. Two design choices distinguish CuTeGen from prior work: targeting CuTe rather than raw CUDA, which exposes performance-critical structures such as tiling and data movement while remaining stable enough for iterative refinement, and a delayed profiling schedule that withholds low-level performance feedback until the kernel's high-level structure has stabilized. On the 209 tasks of KernelBench Level-1 and Level-2, CuTeGen achieves an average speedup of 1.71× over PyTorch and outperforms the prior agentic baseline CudaForge (0.89×) at comparable per-task generation cost. Code available at https://github.com/taratt/cutegen.git