WHAT IS CUDA?

OpenCL

OpenCL™ (Open Computing Language) is a low-level API for heterogeneous computing that runs on the CUDA architecture. Using OpenCL, developers can write compute kernels using a C-like programming language to harness the massive parallel computing power of NVIDIA GPU’s to create compelling computing applications. As the OpenCL standard matures and is supported on processors from other vendors, NVIDIA will continue to provide the drivers, tools and training resources developers need to create GPU accelerated applications.

In partnership with NVIDIA, OpenCL was submitted to the Khronos Group by Apple in the summer of 2008 with the goal of forging a cross platform environment for general purpose computing on GPUs. NVIDIA has chaired the industry working group that defines the OpenCL standard since its inception and shipped the world’s first conformant GPU implementation of OpenCL for both Windows and Linux in June 2009.

NVIDIA has been delivering OpenCL support in end-user production drivers since October 2009, supporting OpenCL on all 250,000,000+ CUDA architecture GPUs shipped since 2006.

OpenCL Developer Resources:

OpenCL v1.1 Drivers and Code Samples Now Available (June 2010)
OpenCL v1.1 pre-release drivers and SDK code samples are now available to GPU Computing registered developers. Log in or apply for an account to download OpenCL v1.1 today.

OpenCL Developer Resources:

GPU Technology Conference 2010 Sessions:

NVIDIA enthusiastically supports all languages and API’s that enable developers to access the parallel processing power of the GPU. NVIDIA has a long history of embracing and supporting standards, since a wider choice of languages improves the number and scope of applications that can exploit parallel computing on the GPU. With C/C++ and Fortran language support along with API’s such as OpenCL and Microsoft DirectCompute available today, GPU computing is now mainstream. NVIDIA is the only processor company to offer this breadth of open and standard language solutions for the GPU.

NVIDIA’s Industry-leading support for OpenCL:

2010

November – NVIDIA releases updated Visual Profiler and new cuda-memcheck support for OpenCL applications

July – Khronos Group certifies NVIDIA’s OpenCL 1.1 as industry first conformant implementation

June – NVIDIA releases updated Visual Profiler and new SDK code samples for OpenCL developers

June – NVIDIA releases R256 OpenCL 1.1 conformance candidate to thousands of developers

March – NVIDIA releases Visual Profiler 3.0 with integrated support for both OpenCL and CUDA C/C++ applications on Fermi architecture GPUs

March – NVIDIA releases updated R195 drivers with the Khronos-approved ICD, enabling applications to use OpenCL NVIDIA GPUs and other processors at the same time

January – NVIDIA releases updated R195 drivers, supporting developer-requested OpenCL extensions for Direct3D9/10/11 buffer sharing and loop unrolling

January – Khronos Group ratifies the ICD specification contributed by NVIDIA, enabling applications to use multiple OpenCL implementations concurrently

2009

November – NVIDIA releases R195 drivers with support for optional features in the OpenCL v1.0 specification such as double precision math operations and OpenGL buffer sharing

October – NVIDIA hosts the GPU Technology Conference, providing OpenCL training for an additional 500+ developers

September – NVIDIA completes OpenCL training for over 1000 developers via free webinars

September – NVIDIA begins shipping OpenCL 1.0 conformant support in all end user (public) driver packages for Windows and Linux

September - NVIDIA releases the OpenCL Visual Profiler, the industry’s first hardware performance profiling tool for OpenCL applications

July – NVIDIA hosts first “Introduction to GPU Computing and OpenCL” and “Best Practices for OpenCL Programming, Advanced” webinars for developers

July – NVIDIA releases the NVIDIA OpenCL Best Practices Guide, packed with optimization techniques and guidelines for achieving fast, accurate results with OpenCL

July – NVIDIA contributes source code and specification for an Installable Client Driver (ICD) to the Khronos OpenCL Working Group, with the goal of enabling applications to use multiple OpenCL implementations concurrently on GPUs, CPUs and other types of processors

June – NVIDIA releases industry first OpenCL 1.0 conformant drivers and developer SDK

April – NVIDIA releases industry first OpenCL 1.0 GPU drivers for Windows and Linux, accompanied by the 100+ page NVIDIA OpenCL Programming Guide, an OpenCL JumpStart Guide showing developers how to port existing code from CUDA C to OpenCL, and OpenCL developer forums

2008

December – NVIDIA shows off the world's first OpenCL GPU demonstration, running on an NVIDIA laptop GPU at SIGGRAPH Asia

June – Apple submits OpenCL proposal to Khronos Group; NVIDIA volunteers to chair the OpenCL Working Group is formed

2007

December – NVIDIA Tesla product wins PC Magazine Technical Excellence Award

June – NVIDIA launches first Tesla C870, the first GPU designed for High Performance Computing

May - NVIDIA releases first CUDA architecture GPUs capable of running OpenCL in laptops & workstations

2006

November - NVIDIA released first CUDA architecture GPU capable of running OpenCL

OpenCL is a trademark of Apple Inc., used under license by Khronos.