NIKOLA Chess Engine

What is MIND?

MIND (Machine INtelligence Development) is a systems programming language designed specifically for AI and high-performance computing. NIKOLA is written entirely in MIND, leveraging its native tensor operations and zero-overhead abstractions.

Why MIND Instead of Python/Rust?

vs Python/PyTorch

65,000-125,000x faster compile
1,345-11,284x faster autodiff
No GIL limitations
Zero dependencies

vs Rust

Native tensors
Simpler syntax
Built-in GPU kernels
AI-first design

vs C++

Memory safe
Modern syntax
Faster compile
Cross-platform GPU

Key Features

Native Tensor Types

First-class tensor support with automatic differentiation:

let weights: Tensor[f32, 1024, 512] = Tensor.random()
let input: Tensor[f32, 1024] = get_features(position)
let output = weights @ input  // Matrix multiplication

GPU Kernels

Write GPU code inline with automatic backend selection:

@gpu
fn evaluate_batch(positions: &[Position]) -> Tensor[f32] {
    parallel_for pos in positions {
        compute_nnue(pos)
    }
}

Zero-Cost Abstractions

High-level code compiles to optimal machine code:

// This high-level code...
let best_move = moves
    .filter(|m| is_legal(m))
    .max_by(|m| evaluate(m))

// ...compiles to hand-optimized assembly

Cross-Platform Compilation

Single codebase compiles to CUDA, Metal, ROCm, WebGPU, and CPU backends without modification. The MIND compiler automatically generates optimized kernels for each target.

MIND in NIKOLA

NIKOLA's codebase demonstrates MIND's strengths:

Search engine - Parallel alpha-beta with lockless hash tables
NNUE inference - GPU-accelerated tensor operations
Move generation - SIMD-optimized bitboard operations
Endgame tables - Memory-mapped distributed access

Getting Started with MIND

Install the MIND toolchain:

Linux / macOS

curl -fsSL https://mindlang.dev/install.sh | bash

Windows

irm https://mindlang.dev/install.ps1 | iex

Learn More

Explore the MIND Language documentation and community:

MIND Website GitHub Repository