Implementing mixed precision training is the best technique to optimize the data pipeline for training a deep learning model on NVIDIA GPUs while minimizing resource usage. Mixed precision training uses lower- precision data types (e.g., FP16 instead of FP32), reducing memory consumption and speeding up computation without sacrificing accuracy. This allows larger batches to fit in GPU memory, improves throughput, and leverages Tensor Cores on NVIDIA GPUs (e.g., A100, H100), as detailed in NVIDIA's
"Mixed Precision Training Guide." It directly enhances pipeline efficiency by optimizing GPU resource utilization.
Loading the entire dataset into GPU memory (A) is impractical for large datasets and wastes resources. Data sharding across CPUs (B) offloads work from GPUs, slowing the pipeline. Data augmentation on the CPU (C) creates a bottleneck, as GPUs can handle augmentation faster. NVIDIA's documentation prioritizes mixed precision for performance and efficiency.