AMD Posts QDMA Linux Driver For Review

[phoronix]

Phoronix: AMD Posts QDMA Linux Driver For Review

A new AMD open-source driver posted for code review that's aiming for the upstream Linux kernel is the QDMA driver...

https://www.phoronix.com/news/AMD-QDMA-Linux-Driver

[timofonic]

Now make Xilinx FPGA tools Open Source.

[stompcrash]

Now make Xilinx FPGA tools Open Source.

Here, here! I second that nomination.

I dream of a future where FPGAs come installed in computers. Where you can write purpose-built code to run on them for any task you wish to speed up. I don't know, maybe physics simulations, or enemy AI in games, stuff like that.

[schmidtbag]

I dream of a future where FPGAs come installed in computers. Where you can write purpose-built code to run on them for any task you wish to speed up. I don't know, maybe physics simulations, or enemy AI in games, stuff like that.

It isn't really clear to me why that isn't a thing. Modern CPUs can have as much as 4 different kinds of processors on them, maybe even 5 in some cases, all to process different things, and you're not likely to ever use all of them simultaneously. So, surely it'd make sense to have a slightly bigger die that can adapt to the user's needs.

[dwagner]

Well, AMD hinted towards a CPU with embedded FPGA 2 years ago: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/am...GA-integration

But lately the message got muddled with "AI"-buzzwording: https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/..._2022_results/

I for one would first like to see APUs, where the GPU part is better than what the 5700G had to offer.

[smitty3268]

It isn't really clear to me why that isn't a thing. Modern CPUs can have as much as 4 different kinds of processors on them, maybe even 5 in some cases, all to process different things, and you're not likely to ever use all of them simultaneously. So, surely it'd make sense to have a slightly bigger die that can adapt to the user's needs.

I believe FPGA's are quite a bit more expensive, and most people are able to just run their code on standard programmable gpu hardware well enough to get by.

That said, there's plenty of rumors about what AMD might do in the future now that they've bought Xilinx, and Intel has been looking into it too.

[SkyWarrior]

Intel already has Arria.

[chocolate]

Here, here! I second that nomination.

I dream of a future where FPGAs come installed in computers. Where you can write purpose-built code to run on them for any task you wish to speed up. I don't know, maybe physics simulations, or enemy AI in games, stuff like that.

Oh yes, please, pretty please! I loved the Novena platform concept for this reason, and it wouldn't hurt to propose it in consumer-grade hardware with a sleeker design.
Current MNT happenings are super interesting as well, but I would like to have a laptop with a real CPU that can reprogram an FPGA as a peripheral (perhaps with sufficient I/O to be able, itself, to use other peripherals autonomously, instead of only communicating with the CPU). In-FPGA "soft core" designs are awesome, but I feel they are less desirable as a complete package, even for enthusiasts. They have already started to be all the rage in embedded for obvious cost-cutting reasons, and I find it amusing and fun to see them evolve in community projects. The open hardware movement is going to be quite exciting!

https://www.crowdsupply.com/sutajio-kosagi/novena

https://mntre.com/media/reform_md/2022-09-29-rkx7-showcase.html

[schmidtbag]

I believe FPGA's are quite a bit more expensive, and most people are able to just run their code on standard programmable gpu hardware well enough to get by.

That said, there's plenty of rumors about what AMD might do in the future now that they've bought Xilinx, and Intel has been looking into it too.

FPGAs are a lot more expensive but it isn't clear to me whether there is anything inherently more expensive about the chips themselves, relative to their transistor count anyway. Many FPGAs are expensive because you're not getting just a chip - you're buying a professional platform, and the devices come with a variety of I/O, which may not be necessary for the purposes of a home PC. I'm no expert on the technology so I'm sure the fact its programmable adds complexity to the chip design.

[stompcrash]

FPGAs are a lot more expensive but it isn't clear to me whether there is anything inherently more expensive about the chips themselves, relative to their transistor count anyway. Many FPGAs are expensive because you're not getting just a chip - you're buying a professional platform, and the devices come with a variety of I/O, which may not be necessary for the purposes of a home PC. I'm no expert on the technology so I'm sure the fact its programmable adds complexity to the chip design.

My guess is that it is due to economies of scale. If you have 100s of millions of FPGAs being made to put into nearly every laptop, desktop, and mobile device, their price would dramatically come down.