Why gpgpu

While GPUs are designed to process graphics calculations, they can also be used to perform other operations. Instead of sitting idle when not processing graphics, the GPU is constantly available to perform other tasks. Since GPUs are optimized for processing vector calculations, they can even process some instructions faster than the CPU.

Since processors can complete millions of operations each second, data is often stored in the buffer only for a few milliseconds. The most popular is OpenCL , an open standard supported by multiple platforms and video cards. If you would like to reference this page or cite this definition, you can use the green citation links above. The goal of TechTerms. Chapter 36, "Stream Reduction Operations for GPGPU Applications," by Daniel Horn of Stanford University, illustrates several ways in which the GPU can be programmed to perform filtering operations that remove elements from a data stream in order to generate variable amounts of output.

He demonstrates how this technique can be used to efficiently implement collision detection and subdivision surfaces. One thing is sure: the realities of semiconductor design and the memory gap mean that data-parallel programming is here to stay. By learning how to express your problems in this style today, you can ensure that your code will continue to execute at the maximum possible speed on all future hardware.

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Printed in the United States of America. Published simultaneously in Canada. For information on obtaining permission for use of material from this work, please submit a written request to:. While highly complex calculations are computed in the GPU, sequential calculations can be performed in parallel in the CPU.

Writing GPU enabled applications requires a parallel computing platform and application programming interface API that allows software developers and software engineers to build algorithms to modify their application and map compute-intensive kernels to the GPU. GPGPU supports several types of memory in a memory hierarchy for designers to optimize their programs.