Spreadsheets are all you need

This talk demonstrates how GPT-2’s forward pass can be implemented entirely in Excel, providing a hands-on way to understand transformer mechanics.

Overview

Spreadsheets-are-all-you-need implements the forward pass of GPT2 entirely in Excel using standard spreadsheet functions. By using a spreadsheet anyone can explore and play directly with how a “real” transformer works under the hood with minimal abstractions to get in the way.