OpenCL 3.0.14 Released With New Extension For Command Buffer Multi-Device

OpenCL 3.0.14 has been released that has a few minor fixes/corrections plus one prominent new extension: cl_khr_command_buffer_multi_device.

The cl_khr_command_buffer_multi_device extension was worked on by Codeplay Software, Intel, Arm, Qualcomm, Tampere University, NVIDIA, and Google as an extension of cl_khr_command_buffer. This new extension allows the execution of heterogeneous command buffers across multiple devices. The new cl_khr_command_buffer_multi_device specification explains:

"cl_khr_command_buffer_multi_device extends the scope of a command-buffer to allow commands to be recorded across multiple queues in the same command-buffer, providing execution of heterogeneous task graphs from command-queues associated with different devices.

The ability for a user to deep copy an existing command-buffer so that the commands target a different device is also made possible by cl_khr_command_buffer_multi_device. Depending on platform support the mapping of commands to the new target device can be done either explicitly by the user, or automatically by the OpenCL runtime."

The updated OpenCL 3.0.14 specification is available via the Khronos.org Registry.