CPU, GPU, FGPA, or DSP: Heterogeneous Computing Multiplies the Processing Power
Whether your code will run on
industry-standard PCs or is embedded in devices for specific uses, chances are
there’s more than one processor that you can utilize. Graphics processors, DSPs
and other hardware accelerators often sit idle while CPUs crank away at code
better served elsewhere. That was the genesis of the Open Computing Language
(OpenCL) nearly a decade ago.
OpenCL provides the framework for writing C
and C++ code that runs on ‘all of the above’, and Intel®, as a strong supporter
of OpenCL offers the Intel®
SDK for OpenCL™ Applications, a comprehensive development
environment for writing and optimizing OpenCL applications on Intel platforms. The
SDK is part of a vast portfolio of Intel tools for heterogeneous computing, and
it supports the offloading of compute-intensive parallel workloads to Intel graphics
technology, thanks to an advanced compiler for OpenCL kernels, a runtime
debugger, and a code performance analyzer.
What are some of the benefits of using the Intel® SDK for OpenCL™
Applications?
Developers can customize heterogeneous
compute apps to accelerate performance
- Deliver high-performance image
and video processing pipelines by offloading compute to graphic technology - Develop your own proprietary
algorithms that run on multiple types of Intel-powered devices - Enhance overall system power
efficiency - Use a single common front end
for coding on a broad range of Intel CPUs, GPUs, or FPGAs - Speed innovation for
competitive advantage working with complimentary software tools and libraries
like Intel®
System Studio, Intel® Media SDK, and OpenVINO™, and
optimize system performance and power Intel®
VTune™ Amplifier.
The Intel® SDK for OpenCL™ applications supports a broad range of processing
elements including:
Iris® Plus, Iris® Pro, Intel® HD Graphics, Intel®
Core™, Intel® Xeon®, Pentium®, and Intel® Celeron® processors and GPUs and
OpenCL application versions 2.1, 2.0, and 1.2.
Designed with efficiency in mind, the
drivers and runtimes for OpenCL applications are packaged separately from the
SDK to minimize the size of the installation package. The SDK package contains
the development components, and there are several variations and driver
versions, depending on the hardware in your configuration.
The SDK also offers a broad range of
development tools and operating environments, including
Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 or later and Eclipse
Oxygen* (4.7) and neon™ framework (4.6). Operating Systems supported are Windows®
10 (64-bit desktop mode), CentOS 7.3, Ubuntu 16.04, and Yocto Project.
Best of all the Intel SDK for OpenCL Applications
and the Intel Graphics Driver and OpenCL Runtimes are available at no cost from
Intel.
You can get the latest Intel SDK for OpenCL
applications as part of Intel® System Studio which can
help you create your own heterogeneous designs that run on Intel® Graphics
Technology.