Interview questions in MLOps & Infrastructure, page 7
Why avoid global Python dependencies for ML, and how do containers help?
This probes environment isolation and reproducibility in ML. A strong answer cites global dependency conflicts, system library skew, and brittle environments; then notes containers freeze the full stack for deterministic deployment.
How do you configure Docker for host GPU access and CUDA libraries?
This tests GPU passthrough via the NVIDIA Container Toolkit. Strong answers use nvidia/cuda base images matching the host driver, pass GPUs with --gpus all, and avoid installing drivers inside the container.
Hybrid parallelism for large-model training
Split the model itself via tensor or pipeline parallelism so each replica is smaller, shrinking gradient all-reduce; combine with data parallelism in 2D/3D.
Flask/Gunicorn vs Triton/TorchServe for serving
Flask is simple and flexible but lacks dynamic batching, GPU scheduling, and multi-model management; Triton/TorchServe add those plus metrics and versioning.
How do you monitor model health with delayed ground truth labels?
Tests ML ops maturity beyond accuracy. A strong answer covers input drift via PSI or KS tests, prediction distribution shifts, proxy business metrics, and human spot-checking. A red flag is passively waiting for labels or retraining blindly without validation.
How would you design drift detection for high-dimensional embeddings?
Tests distribution shift in latent spaces beyond per-feature stats. Strong answers use maximum mean discrepancy, k-NN two-sample tests, or domain-classifier AUC, plus windowing. Red flag: per-dimension KS tests or mean-difference thresholds.
Explain a model registry's purpose and what to store per version
Tests if you treat the registry as a governance bridge between training and production, not just storage. Strong answers cite versioned artifacts, lineage, metrics, dependencies, and approval gates. Red flag: calling it a file dump or experiment tracker.
How does a model registry differ from cloud storage like S3?
This tests model governance beyond raw storage. A strong answer contrasts storage with stage transitions, lineage, and ACLs, then lists metadata like metrics, dependencies, and schemas. A red flag is treating S3 folders with naming conventions as a registry.
Declarative vs imperative ML platform design
Declarative GitOps gives auditable, reproducible, reviewable desired-state config with strong governance but a steeper learning curve; imperative SDKs are flexible and fast for scientists but harder to…
Epsilon in differential privacy and its trade-offs
Epsilon is the privacy budget bounding how much one record can change outputs; smaller epsilon means stronger privacy but more noise and lower accuracy.
Design a cost-aware ML training platform for heterogeneous hardware
Tests hardware abstraction and cost-aware cross-accelerator scheduling. Strong answers cover a device-agnostic spec, a performance predictor, a cost-per-step model, and bin-packing against spot prices. Red flag: ignoring per-step cost and migration overhead.
We are hiring for this. Every open role lists the topics its interview covers, so you can prepare for the real thing rather than guessing.
See open roles