Computer Graphics World

September 2009 23 Graphics Cards n n n n ferent set of programming tools. Learning the skills to master these tools takes an ex- tra degree of time and effort, something that can be in short supply within a soft- ware development environment. By using the very common x86 com- mand set, Intel opens up sophisticated graphics to far more developers. It also could open up the graphics chip as a direct extension of the system's CPU. Since they both speak the same language, the same code could conceivably be shared between the CPU and the GPU, thus speeding up just about any application in the computer. Of course, all of this will be dependent on the actual chips that Intel produces. e perfor- mance of a Larrabee chip has yet to be formally measured, so who knows how well it will stack up against next year's top-of-the-line chips from AMD and Nvidia. To open up its graphics chips to a wider range of developers, Nvidia launched the CUDA development environment. is allows develop- ers to build programs that run on Nvidia's graphics processors using standard C-language tools instead of a more esoteric graphics language. While this can address some developer con- cerns, it still might not offer the degree of integration that Larrabee would provide. Not to be left out of this burgeoning battle is AMD, the other major x86 chip vendor. e company's recent acquisition of ATI was part of its plan to integrate the CPU with graphics on the same chip. is could boost throughput significant- ly, since it eliminates one of the biggest bottlenecks in a graphics computer: the graphics interface bus. As graphics get faster and faster, the standard bus has to be continually updated. From the original ISA bus to PCI, AGP, and now PCI Express, every few years the graphics bus changes. An integrated chip would sidestep this issue nicely. Integrated chips also will reduce power requirements, making such a chip ideal for the growing market focused on mobile devices, such as netbooks and tablets. At this point, however, AMD has not shipped any integrated chips. It is, however integrating the company's graphics chips more tightly with its CPUs on the mother- board, allowing for increased performance. For developers, AMD offers its Stream computing platform, which provides a de- velopment environment that is friendly to the average programmer. The CPU/GPU Marriage All these developments represent a conver- gence of the GPU and CPU that could eas- ily change the way graphics are managed within a computer system. Right now, it seems as though the two CPU manufac- turers are lining up their graphics solu- tions, which could leave Nvidia as the only high-end graphics vendor without an x86 chip of its own. is may suit Nvidia just fine, as the company seems to be publicly pushing the GPGPU concept as a replacement to the CPU. In response to an ongoing court battle with Intel over a 2004 cross-licens- ing deal, Nvidia's CEO Jen-Hsun Huang stated, "At the heart of this issue is that the CPU has run its course and the soul of the PC is shifting quickly to the GPU. is is clearly an attempt to stifle innovation to protect a decaying CPU business." While this comment should be taken with a big dose of CEO hubris, there is still some technology to back up this state- ment. One of the most important is soft- ware-based. Last year, Apple, Nvidia, and AMD helped create a new standard called Open Computer Language (OpenCL), which is a framework for writing programs that execute across a wide array of process- ing devices, including GPUs. OpenCL of- fers parallel programming tools and could become a very common stan- dard like its cousin, OpenGL. An open programming standard is nice, but it does not entirely re- place the standard x86 CPU in a computer system that most likely runs an operating system written for the x86. is brings up the on- going rumors that Nvidia also may be looking to enter the x86 market. e company has already dipped its toe into the integrated CPU/GPU chip market with the Tegra chips for mobile devices, which integrate Nvidia graphics with an ARM pro- cessor. Integrating an x86 CPU may be the next step, most likely for the low- power netbook market. Where Nvidia gets that technology, however, is up for debate. is leaves the graphics industry at a turning point. ere will be increasing pres- sure to integrate the CPU with the GPU, as well as open up the processing power of graphics cards to more general applications. How this will all play out is up for specula- tion, but it will most certainly result in not only faster graphics, but also in better ap- plications and software that can tap into the power contained in these chips. n George Maestri is a contributing editor for Computer Graphics World and president/CEO of RubberBug animation studio. He can be reached at maestri@ rubberbug.com. AcrSoft Total Media Theater, a consumer video app, gets a quality boost (right) when accelerated with AMD's ATI Stream.

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