| Q&A |
AMD GPU Computing,
Gary Silcott,
September - 2009
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“
In the CPU you ask a computer a lot of different questions
rapidly one after the other vs. asking the GPU the same
question many, many times for a different set of data.
Both types of workloads are found in software today,
therefore we need to have both of CPU and GPU processing
together to deliver the optimal user experience.” |
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| Q1 |
Are
ATI prodcuts ready to take advantage of GPU power for general
purpose computing? |
| A1 |
Absolutely,
and ATI has been a vocal proponent of GPGPU using open standards
rather than proprietary solutions, so the recent developments
around OpenCL and Direct X 11 reinforce that strategy. |
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| Q2 |
In
the case of GPU computing, what is the role of the CPU? Does
the CPU affect the performances? |
| A2 |
This
is exactly the right question to be asking because the CPU
remains key to AMD’s focus on platform performance rather
than the individual components! The CPU and GPU are like co-workers
who get along fabulously and get a lot more done working together,
but they use completely different styles to achieve their
goals. In the CPU you ask a computer a lot of different questions
rapidly one after the other vs. asking the GPU the same question
many, many times for a different set of data. Both types of
workloads are found in software today, therefore we need to
have both of CPU and GPU processing together to deliver the
optimal user experience. |
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| Q3 |
AMD
was one of the first company to take advantage of Apple OpenCL.What
are the advantage of OpenCL Library vs Cuda and Stream SDK? |
| A3 |
(note:
OpenCL is a Khronos run standard that Apple, AMD and others
support – it’s not “Apple OpenCL”.)
Another
very important question, because OpenCL (along with the DirectCompute
functions in DirectX 11) really do change the game in GPGPU.
OpenCL allows programmers to target multi-core and heterogeneous
chip architectures more easily and only write their code once
to access a variety of hardware. CUDA is proprietary to Nvidia
hardware, so it isn’t particularly us eful in a world
where ATI holds significant GPU market share. OpenCL is also
supported on multi-core CPUs, so AMD’s position as the
only supplier of both GPUs and CPUs on our PC platforms make
OpenCL a great way for developers to access both. |
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| Q4 |
Windows
7 will introduce DirectCompute : are ATI cards ready to take
advantage of this new library? |
| A4 |
Absolutely
and as the only supplier of DX11 hardware that is supported
by Windows 7 AMD has a significant advantage over the competition.
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| Q5 |
It
seems that nVidia create proprietary solutions under CUDA :
PhysX, 3D renders (Interactive RayTracing, V-Ray RT...). Do
you think that users will prefer to choose nVidia cards to be
more compatible with GPU Computing? |
| A5 |
Absolutely
not, developers don’t want to have to chose one hardware
over another, they want to run on as many systems as possible,
and that’s why AMD has consistently worked to have ATI
Stream support open standards such as OpenCL for CPU and GPU,
as well as DirectCompute under Windows 7. |
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| Q6 |
Tim
Sweeney (Epic Games) predict the end of GPU in the next Decade,
saying that CPU will definitively surpass GPU for creating next
generation realtime 3D engines (Ray Tracing). What do you think
of this affirmation? |
| A6 |
Obviously
we disagree and in fact, just the opposite is true. The GPU
is becoming more critical to computing not less, and is going
to play a crucial role in delivering the best experience to
the PC user. |
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