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AMD To Open-Source Its Linux Execution & Compilation Stack

Posted by Soulskill on from the open-source-execution-is-not-as-bad-as-it-sounds dept.

An anonymous reader writes "According to Phoronix, AMD will be open-sourcing its Linux execution and compiler stack as part of jump-starting the Heterogeneous System Architecture Foundation. The HSA Foundation was started earlier this month at the AMD Fusion Developer Summit and AMD plans to open up its stack so that others can utilize the code without causing HSA fragmentation. This will include LLVM code, the HSA run-time, an HSA kernel driver for Linux distributions, an HSA assembler, and other components."

24 of 81 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting timing... by DeTech · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Capitalizing on the Nvidia slam fest this week maybe?

    1. Re:Interesting timing... by pecosdave · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I came here to say this. AMD is basically tea-bagging Nvidia with this.

      Sadly, before the ATI/AMD merger I was an Nvidia/AMD fan, and I still have an Nvidia card in my quad core AMD system and still don't like ATI graphics, but I'm beginning to question the logic in that.

      I'm so confused.

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    2. Re:Interesting timing... by Jeng · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm so confused.

      Buy that which fills the needs the best regardless of brand.

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      Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
    3. Re:Interesting timing... by unixhero · · Score: 2

      Intel needs to buy Nvidia, with all that cash it has, and put and put some sense into Nvidia and stop biting the hand that feeds it (no more binary blobs). Huge fan of NVIDIA hardware though, don't get me wrong. From Tegra to Tesla. Their binary blobs work great too in fact.

    4. Re:Interesting timing... by Jeng · · Score: 4, Interesting

      We need more competition not less.

      Nvidia should buy VIA.

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    5. Re:Interesting timing... by unixhero · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Clearly Linux is feeding NVIDIA with a _platform_. Tegra is an architechture which will sell hundreds of thousands of units, benefiting NVIDIA immensely. It is a classic case of the tragedy of the commons, when a major player like Nvidia uses Linux as an engine of growth and gives little back. Yes, I know, they are providing the Tegra code upstream, so I guess it is kind if inacurate to use it as an example. In any case, any company with such a great success based around another entity's platform should provide some care and love back to that community. The one thing Linux/s needs is source code, and it is all in the interest of performance, usability, stability, interoptability; it's not asking for anything more. Yet, I do understand NVIDIA's conundrum. The driver has almost become an OS in itself because of the complexity of GPUs nowadays. I don't want to get too technical, because it is besides the point of this little post.

    6. Re:Interesting timing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Sometimes it goes beyond that.

      Would you buy from a company that best fills needs, but has some practices that you strongly disagree with? What about if you can get something that's (~90%) as good from a competitor, but they're behaving in a manner that you want to encourage?

      It's not always so cut and dry.

    7. Re:Interesting timing... by John+Hasler · · Score: 3, Interesting

      > What?

      I believe that what he is getting at is that NVidia is still tied up in stupid "IP" licenses that might be revoked if they released source for their blobs or detailed specs for their chips.

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    8. Re:Interesting timing... by John+Hasler · · Score: 2

      It is a classic case of the tragedy of the commons...

      No it isn't. Linux is not a scarce resource.

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      Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
    9. Re:Interesting timing... by mrmeval · · Score: 2

      I did. I bought a Sony camera that at the time filled a need. Then the CCD failed and I find I'm fucked because Sony won't fix the known defect. It could make my dick hard, my body 20 and my eyesight 20/5 in each eye and I'd not touch if if it's know to be an evil company that is of questionable moral or ethical character.

      Shopping the market without intelligence is for fools.

      --
      I'd go on a Vegan diet but the delivery time from Vega is too long. --brownkitty
    10. Re:Interesting timing... by hairyfeet · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Does AMD graphics do what you need them to? Do you wish to show businesses that supporting open specs is good for business? Then buy AMD, simple as that.

      In the end for those that wish to see openness supported you have to meet them halfway and give them numbers to show you are worth the money and effort and i think it would be damned hard to argue that AMD isn't doing everything they can to be as open as possible.

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      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    11. Re:Interesting timing... by Telvin_3d · · Score: 2

      Hundreds of thousands of units benefiting NVIDIA immensely? If that is all Tegra is selling then Linux doesn't have a lot to offer. Some quick google puts the price of a Tegra chip in the $20-$25 range. Assuming that NVIDIA can claim $10 profit off each one (a high assumption) then sales of 500,000 only gets them $5m. That's not even a blip on the radar. That's not even a blip on the radar as a quarterly number. Monthly and it still wouldn't make the earnings report.

      If the Tegra sales numbers are anything less than tens of millions NVIDIA may as well kill the project. And if that's the best Linux has to offer...

  2. Re:fags by kthreadd · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Linux is for fags.

    Of course, everyone is free to use Linux. Even you.

  3. Exceptions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    the full Linux execution stack (compiler/runtime/kernel drivers) in open source form, except for one commercial third party piece (the C++ parser front end)

    Is this missing piece a proprietary parser of C++ for LLVM or a proprietary shader parser implemented in C++?

    Kudos to AMD. It is getting easier for me to imagine buying ATI based GPUs for my own use after ~10 years of NVidia cards. A full execution stack may lead to at least more stable drivers (via users debugging), if not more efficient. My #1 objection to ATI has been instability of Linux drivers.

    1. Re:Exceptions by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 4, Informative

      My guess is that it is probably the EDG C++ front end (Edison Design Group.) Aside from GCC and Microsoft's C/C++ compiler the EDG front end seems to be used by all the major C++ compilers (to manage the clusterfuck of C++ parsing.)

      Note: While I love C++ from a programmer's point of view, having worked on a professional C++ compiler, C++ makes we want to puke at the hack grammar and language design.

  4. Re:fags by DeTech · · Score: 2

    This is the best idea for an ad campaign I've ever heard for linux.

  5. That's only the OpenCL stuff, right? by rrohbeck · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I didn't see any mention of opening the 3D graphics drivers or video acceleration. So the open compute code is going to call an opaque blob?

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    1. Re:That's only the OpenCL stuff, right? by whatajoke · · Score: 2

      I didn't see any mention of opening the 3D graphics drivers or video acceleration.

      AMD GPU have had open specifications for a long time now. The OpenCL backend based on llvm was recently committed by an AMD developer. Phoronix has been tracking these developments rather well. http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTA5MTk

      This LLVM back-end for R600g has been one of the items that AMD's open-source team has been working on for several months. In early December was when the R600g LLVM back-end was published. This LLVM implementation is needed for OpenCL on Radeon hardware, among other purposes.

  6. Is this... by Lisias · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... "the finger effect"? :-)

    --
    Lisias@Earth.SolarSystem.OrionArm.MilkyWay.Local.Virgo.Universe.org
    1. Re:Is this... by SalsaDoom · · Score: 5, Funny

      Lets get Linus to try it on government next!

      --
      "Computers will never truly be free until the last windows user is strangled with the entrails of the last mac user."
  7. Oh AMD, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    why ist thou seducing me with your open ways?

    Keep it up, AMD!!! Your good will, collaboration, and support towards the Open Source community is being noted and remembered each time I consider purchasing a new system!

    /linux exclusively, of course

  8. Re:What's an execution stack? by shiftless · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm no expert either, but it sounds like the toolchain to build code which can run on the GPU. i.e. shaders. Hopefully the experts will chime in and correct me....

    I'd just like to say, as a die-hard NVidia fan, this will definitely cause me to take a second look at ATI's offerings. The main thing holding me back from considering them is their heretofore poor Linux compatibility. I run Windows 7 now, but I want to retain the option of Linux usage now or in the future. Good open source ATI drivers plus continued good quality products coming out of ATI would most likely tip me heavily towards ATI in the future.

  9. I'm in by Tough+Love · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Way to make this decision easy. I was already convinced in principle, just not moving on it. Now I'm moving on it. Fusion FTW!

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  10. Re:What's an execution stack? by wonkavader · · Score: 2

    Ha Ha! This is double-whammy funny! Because 'let me google that for you' doesn't come up with the right answer. Which mean's this joker couldn't be bothered to google it before pasting a link.