Harlan - a new programming language for GPGPU computing

Posted on Thursday, July 04 2013 @ 11:54 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
A computer science Ph.D. candidate at Indiana University by the name Eric Holk has developed Harlan, a new open-source language for GPGPU computing. While there are already other GPU programming languages out there, including CUDA and OpenCL, Harlan is different because it's not based on the CPU past, it's been designed from ground up to take care of all the grunt work of programming for GPUs.
Harlan can be compiled to OpenCL (like CUDA), but it can also make use of higher-level languages like Python and Ruby. The syntax is based on Scheme, which itself is based on the much-beloved Lisp programming language. Originally developed in 1958, Lisp has influenced some of the most popular modern languages including Perl, JavaScript, and Ruby — though, perhaps unsurprisingly, Lisp’s lots of irritating superfluous parentheses didn’t make the jump to these newer languages. <

Harlan is all about pushing the limits of what programmers can do with GPU computing. This language actually generates streamlined GPU code to run on the hardware which may look very different from what the programmer created. This differs from a similar language called Rust, a Mozilla project that helps programmers craft a program suited to the underlying hardware.
Source: ExtremeTech


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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