In general, HSA expects to define a unified addressing scheme across all processor cores supporting memory coherence as well as operations into a pageable system memory. It also will provide high-level language support for GPU compute processors, including preemption and context switching.
Specifically, HSA aims to deliver an open-source software stack for Linux that will optimize general-purpose graphics (GP-GPU) programs written in the higher-level OpenCL language, reducing memory copies and thus latency. So far, the group has created a library of parallel-programming primitives called Bolt and a general programmer's reference model. In addition, HSA software will work in tandem with an effort to integrate GP-GPU features into Java 9, set for release in 2015.
HSA members preview their upcoming spec at Hot Chips
Posted on Monday, August 26 2013 @ 10:59 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck