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PyData talk 2025-07-10 at 23:30

Accelerated DataFrames for all: Bringing GPU acceleration to pandas and Polars

Description

In Python, data analytics users often prioritize convenience, flexibility, and familiarity over pure performance. The cuDF DataFrame library provides a pandas-like experience with from 10x up to 50x performance improvements, but subtle differences prevent it from being a true drop-in replacement for many users. This talk will showcase the evolution of this library to provide zero-code change experiences, first for pandas users and now for Polars. We will provide examples of this usage and a high level overview of how users can make use of these today. We will then delve into the details of how GPU acceleration is implemented differently in pandas and Polars, along with a deep dive into some of the different technical challenges encountered for each. This talk will have something for both data practitioners and library developers.