Definition
Plain language
An open-source serving system optimized for fast LLM inference.
As stated in the literature
An open-source LLM serving framework offering high-throughput inference with structured generation and runtime optimizations.
Why it matters: Inference is often the dominant cost of running an LLM product, so serving stacks like SGLang directly determine how affordable a deployment is.
For example, a research lab can use SGLang to serve a 70-billion-parameter model to many users at once with structured JSON output guarantees.
Heard on the show
“SGLang doesn't include this model.”Episode 027 — When AI Agents Build the Serving Stack: A Bet on Bespoke Infrastructure