Language level support for shared virtual memory

US8397241B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Intel Corporation · US

Inventors

• Zhou Xiaocheng · Beijing, CN
• Shoumeng Yan · Beijing, CN
• Ying Gao · San Jose, US
• Hu Chen · Beijing, CN
• Peinan Zhang · San Jose, US
• Mohan Rajagopalan · Mountain View, US
• Avi Mendelson · Haifa, IL
• Bratin Saha · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 30, 2008
• Grant date: Mar 12, 2013
• Expiry date: Jan 10, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F2212/657
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide language support for CPU-GPU platforms. In one embodiment, code can be flexibly executed on both the CPU and GPU. CPU code can offload a kernel to the GPU. That kernel may in turn call preexisting libraries on the CPU, or make other calls into CPU functions. This allows an application to be built without requiring the entire call chain to be recompiled. Additionally, in one embodiment data may be shared seamlessly between CPU and GPU. This includes sharing objects that may have virtual functions. Embodiments thus ensure the right virtual function gets invoked on the CPU or the GPU if a virtual function is called by either the CPU or GPU.