A Heterogeneous Accelerated Matrix Multiplication: OpenCL + APU + GPU+ Fast Matrix Multiply
As users and developers, we are witnessing the opening of a new computing scenario: the introduction of hybrid processors into a single die, such as an accelerated processing unit (APU) processor, and the plug-and-play of additional graphics processing units (GPUs) onto a single motherboard. These APU processors provide multiple symmetric cores with their memory hierarchies and an integrated GPU. Moreover, these processors are designed to work with external GPUs that can push the peak performance towards the TeraFLOPS boundary. We present a case study for the development of dense Matrix Multiplication (MM) codes for matrix sizes up to 19Ktimes19K, thus using all of the above computational engines, and an achievable peak performance of 200 GFLOPS for, literally, a made- at-home built. We present the results of our experience, the quirks, the pitfalls, the achieved performance, and the achievable peak performance.
Conclusions
In our system, the APU provides a software solution using only CPUS that can achieve 90GFLOPS (GotoBLAS). If we would like to improve performance by just working on a different and fast algorithm, we can achieve 120 GFLOPS. If we take advantage of both GPUs, we can achieve sustainable performance of about 160 GFLOPS (and a peak performance of 200 GFLOPS). This is a first attempt in putting together a OpenCL solution for the implementation of MM using hybrid parallel systems. The heterogeneous system presents interesting challenges and, thanks to the OpenCL API, ultimately a flexible and powerful environment.
Paolo D’Alberto. A Heterogeneous Accelerated Matrix Multiplication: OpenCL + APU + GPU+ Fast Matrix Multiply. Computer Science. Mathematical Software. arXiv:1205.2927v1 [cs.MS] [Free PDF]
Category: Articles, Computer Science
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