A processor architecture for 3D graphics

The DLX/3DCP architecture that uses a method of parallel processing on 3-D vectors to overcome the problem of the large number of floating-point operations required in 3-D graphics which limits the performance of graphics systems is described. The architecture's design offers general-purpose programmability from the high-level object-oriented language C++ and generates performance expected only from dedicated special-purpose hardware. Results that show the architecture's performance on graphics operations are presented and compared to the performance of other RISC processors     

A Survey of General-Purpose Computation on Graphics Hardware

The rapid increase in the performance of graphics hardware, coupled with recent improvements in its programmability, have made graphics hardware a compelling platform for computationally demanding tasks in a wide variety of application domains. In this report, we describe, summarize, and analyze the latest research in mapping general‐purpose computation to graphics hardware. We begin with the technical motivations that underlie general‐purpose computation on graphics processors (GPGPU) and describe the hardware and software developments that have led to the recent interest in this field. We then aim the main body of this report at two separate audiences. First, we describe the techniques used in mapping general‐purpose computation to graphics hardware. We believe these techniques will be generally useful for researchers who plan to develop the next generation of GPGPU algorithms and techniques. Second, we survey and categorize the latest developments in general‐purpose application development on graphics hardware.     

Concurrent C: A programming language for distributed multiprocessor systems

Recent advances in hardware technology have made the construction of multiprocessor systems economically feasible. This paper describes a new programming language (Concurrent C) suitable for distributed systems which are networks of loosely connected processors, each with its own local storage. Concurrent C is the extended version of the programming language C, incorporating features for parallel processing and interprocess communications.     

Massively Parallel Computation Using Graphics Processors with Application to Optimal Experimentation in Dynamic Control

The rapid growth in the performance of graphics hardware, coupled with recent improvements in its programmability has lead to its adoption in many non-graphics applications, including a wide variety of scientific computing fields. At the same time, a number of important dynamic optimal policy problems in economics are athirst of computing power to help overcome dual curses of complexity and dimensionality. We investigate if computational economics may benefit from new tools on a case study of imperfect information dynamic programming problem with learning and experimentation trade-off, that is, a choice between controlling the policy target and learning system parameters. Specifically, we use a model of active learning and control of a linear autoregression with the unknown slope that appeared in a variety of macroeconomic policy and other contexts. The endogeneity of posterior beliefs makes the problem difficult in that the value function need not be convex and the policy function need not be continuous. This complication makes the problem a suitable target for massively-parallel computation using graphics processors (GPUs). Our findings are cautiously optimistic in that the new tools let us easily achieve a factor of 15 performance gain relative to an implementation targeting single-core processors. Further gains up to a factor of 26 are also achievable but lie behind a learning and experimentation barrier of their own. Drawing upon experience with CUDA programming architecture and GPUs provides general lessons on how to best exploit future trends in parallel computation in economics.     

一个基于硬件计数器的程序性能测试与分析工具

在Intel P6系列处理器与Microsoft Windows NT平台上开发了一个工具软件PTracker，它利用处理器中的硬件性能计数器来获取程序性能数据，并结合机器体系结构参数对数据进行分析。它无需用户编程，与应用程序所使用的编程语言无关，使用很方便。它不仅能够通过性能计数器获得精确的性能参数，而且还能通过对测试得到的性能数据的分析，揭示程序高层次的性能特征，对程序性能评价与优化具有一定的指导作用。本文介绍了PTracker的技术背景、设计与系统实现，并给出了一个应用实例。     

Vector data flow analysis for SIMD optimizations on OpenCL programs

Multi‐core systems equipped with micro processing units and accelerators such as digital signal processors (DSPs) and graphics processing units (GPUs) have become a major trend in processor design in recent years in attempts to meet ever‐increasing application performance requirements. Open Computing Language (OpenCL) is one of the programming languages that include new extensions proposed to exploit the computing power of these kinds of processors. Among the newly extended language features, the single‐instruction multiple‐data (SIMD) linguistics and vector types are added to OpenCL to exploit hardware features of the accelerators. The addition makes it necessary to consider how traditional compiler data flow analysis can be adopted to meet the optimization requirements of vector linguistics. In this paper, we propose a calculus framework to support the data flow analysis of vector constructs for OpenCL programs that compilers can use to perform SIMD optimizations. We model OpenCL vector operations as data access functions in the style of mathematical functions. We then show that the data flow analysis for OpenCL vector linguistics can be performed based on the data access functions. Based on the information gathered from data flow analysis, we illustrate a set of SIMD optimizations on OpenCL programs. The experimental results incorporating our calculus and our proposed compiler optimizations show that the proposed SIMD optimizations can provide average performance improvements of 22% on x86 CPUs and 4% on advanced micro devices GPUs. For the selected 15 benchmarks, 11 of them are improved on x86 CPUs, and six of them are improved on advanced micro devices GPUs. The proposed framework has the potential to be used to construct other SIMD optimizations on OpenCL programs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Pascal graphics system

A two dimensional high level graphics programming system based on the CORE standard graphics system¹ has been implemented. The graphics programming language used in the system is an extension of the programming language Pascal. In this paper the graphics programming features in this system are presented and the implementation issues are discussed.     

硬件加速的等值面提取与绘制

图形硬件的发展为通用计算提供了新的平台.利用图形硬件的高密集和并行运算能力,将非规则四面体网格数据映射为纹理,在GPU中从每个四面体提取等值面片,并将其绘制到纹理而得到最终等值面.基于Cg着色器编程语言实现三维雷达作用范围表现的实验结果表明:该方法有效的减轻了CPU负担,提高了等值面提取速度,适于实时应用.     

Heuristic search in PARLOG using replicated worker style parallelism

Most concurrent logic programming languages hide the distribution of processes among physical processors from the programmer. For parallel applications based on heuristic search, however, it is important for the programmer to accurately control this distribution. With such applications, an inferior distribution strategy easily leads to enormous search overheads, thus decreasing speedup on parallel hardware.

To solve this problem, various language extensions for concurrent logic languages have been proposed, such as mapping notations and priorities. We present an alternative approach that does not require any new language features. Our solution is to use the replicated workers paradigm in a concurrent logic language (PARLOG). This paradigm has thus far mainly been used in parallel procedural languages, such as Linda and Orca. We show that it is just as useful for logic languages. We have implemented two parallel applications, the Traveling Salesman Problem and alpha-beta search, using this approach. Also, we have done some performance measurements of these programs on a multiprocessor. These experiments show that significant speedups can be obtained in this way.     

Adding graphics to a high-level programming language

When graphics input/output capabilities are added to a programming language originally designed with a text stream input/output model, various design decisions affect the ease with which the graphics facilities are learned and used by applications programmers. In adding window system facilities to the Icon programming language, some design decisions were made very differently from the conventional wisdom, resulting in substantial benefits for programmers. In addition, some pre-existing Icon language features have proved to be useful in graphics programming.     

A Proposal for a Distributed Model of GKS Based on Prolog

The Graphical Kernel System GKS is so well established as a standard for graphics programming that quite a number of models for multiprocessor and distributed environments have already been suggested. It is therefore necessary to consider new languages and methodologies capable of supporting its distributed implementation. In this context, clausal logic languages provide suitable means for describing the system in a declarative form and, moreover, ensure the applicability of meta-programming techniques for specifying the semantics of implementation. The Prolog language, extended with communication and modularization structures required by the distributed programming, is thus here considered as a feasible means for establishing a model of GKS organized in functional modules which could be supported by different processors. For such a model a two-level implementation scheme is outlined and a reconfiguration and personalization methodology is suggested.     

NP-Click: a productive software development approach for network processors

Application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design is too risky and prohibitively expensive for many applications. This trend, combined with increasing silicon capability on a die, is fueling the emergence of application-specific programmable architectures. This focus on architecture design for network processors has made programming them an arduous task. Current network processors require in-depth knowledge of the architecture just to begin programming the device. However, for network processors to succeed, programmers must efficiently implement high-performance applications on them. Writing high-performance code for modern network processors is difficult because of their complexity. NP-Click is a simple programming model that permits programmers to reap the benefits of a domain specific language while still allowing for target-specific optimizations. Results for the Intel IXP1200 indicate that NP-Click delivers a large productivity gain at a slight performance expense.     

Hardware implementations of software programs based on hierarchical finite state machine models

Advances in microelectronic devices have dissolved the boundary between software and hardware. Faster hardware circuits that enable significantly greater parallelism to be achieved have encouraged recent research efforts into high-performance computation in electronic systems without the direct use of processing cores. Standard multi-core processors undoubtedly introduce a number of constraints, such as pre-defined operand sizes and instruction sets, and limits on concurrency and parallelism. This paper suggests a way to convert methods and functions that are defined in a general-purpose programming language into hardware implementations. Thus, conventional programming techniques such as function hierarchy, recursion, passing arguments and returning values can be entirely implemented in hardware modules that execute within a hierarchical finite state machine with extended capabilities. The resulting circuits have been found to be faster than their software alternatives and this conclusion is confirmed by numerous experiments in a variety of application areas.     

Parallel programming for multimedia applications

Computing capabilities are continuing to increase with the availability of multi core and many core processors. The wide availability of multi core processors has made parallel programming possible for end user applications running on desktops, workstations, and mobile devices. While parallel hardware has become common, software that exploits parallel capabilities is just beginning to take hold. Multimedia applications, with their data parallel nature and large computing requirements will benefit significantly from parallel programming. In this paper an overview of parallel programming is presented and languages and tools for parallel programming such as OpenMP and CUDA are introduced within the scope of multimedia applications.     

基于OpenGL的图形引擎的设计与实现

近年过,随着图形硬件及图形接口的更新换代,用于游戏的实时图形引擎得到了突飞猛进的发展,各种开源引擎与商业引擎层出不穷。该文旨在运用计算机图形学理论知识,基于OpenGL 3.3的标准以及GLSL着色语言,使用C＋＋语言编写和Visual Studio 2010平台,完成一个拥有模型载入、贴图载入、UI界面、地形系统以及人机交互系统的图形引擎,能够用于游戏场景与漫游类的应用。     

谈C语言中的图形模式

C语言不仅具有高级语言的功能,而且还具有低级语言的特点,它可以直接控制显示屏幕等系统硬件。因此,可以利用C语言提供的图形函数,在图形模式下开发各种图形软件。