General-Purpose Graphics Processor Architectures (Synthesis Lectures on Computer Architecture, 44)

Synopsis

Originally Developed To Support Video Games, Graphics Processor Units (gpus) Are Now Increasingly Used For General-purpose (non-graphics) Applications Ranging From Machine Learning To Mining Of Cryptographic Currencies. Gpus Can Achieve Improved Performance And Efficiency Versus Central Processing Units (cpus) By Dedicating A Larger Fraction Of Hardware Resources To Computation. In Addition, Their General-purpose Programmability Makes Contemporary Gpus Appealing To Software Developers In Comparison To Domain-specific Accelerators. This Book Provides An Introduction To Those Interested In Studying The Architecture Of Gpus That Support General-purpose Computing. It Collects Together Information Currently Only Found Among A Wide Range Of Disparate Sources. The Authors Led Development Of The Gpgpu-sim Simulator Widely Used In Academic Research On Gpu Architectures. The First Chapter Of This Book Describes The Basic Hardware Structure Of Gpus And Provides A Brief Overview Of Their History. Chapter 2 Provides A Summary Of Gpu Programming Models Relevant To The Rest Of The Book. Chapter 3 Explores The Architecture Of Gpu Compute Cores. Chapter 4 Explores The Architecture Of The Gpu Memory System. After Describing The Architecture Of Existing Systems, Chapters \ref{ch03} And \ref{ch04} Provide An Overview Of Related Research. Chapter 5 Summarizes Cross-cutting Research Impacting Both The Compute Core And Memory System. This Book Should Provide A Valuable Resource For Those Wishing To Understand The Architecture Of Graphics Processor Units (gpus) Used For Acceleration Of General-purpose Applications And To Those Who Want To Obtain An Introduction To The Rapidly Growing Body Of Research Exploring How To Improve The Architecture Of These Gpus.