AI Tech Publishing

Jun 29, 2026 · Artificial Intelligence

Understanding the Full LLM Inference Pipeline: From Tokenization to Streaming Output

The article walks through every stage of LLM inference—from tokenization and embedding, through transformer layers, prefill (compute‑bound) and decode (memory‑bound) phases, KV‑cache management, attention redesign, quantization, and serving infrastructure—explaining how each step consumes time and resources and how to identify bottlenecks.