Computer Organization and Design RISC-V Edition

Appendix B

Graphics and Computing GPUs

John Nickolls,    Director of Architecture NVIDIA

David Kirk,    Chief Scientist NVIDIA

B.1 Introduction B-3

B.2 GPU System Architectures B-7

B.3 Programming GPUs B-12

B.4 Multithreaded Multiprocessor Architecture B-25

B.5 Parallel Memory System B-36

B.6 Floating-point Arithmetic B-41

B.7 Real Stuff: The NVIDIA GeForce 8800 B-46

B.8 Real Stuff: Mapping Applications to GPUs B-55

B.9 Fallacies and Pitfalls B-72

B.10 Concluding Remarks B-76

B.11 Historical Perspective and Further Reading B-77

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Albert Einstein On Science, 1930s

B.1 Introduction

This appendix focuses on the GPU—the ubiquitous graphics processing unit in every PC, laptop, desktop computer, ...