Standard Portable Intermediate Representation
Standard Portable Intermediate Representation (SPIR) is an intermediate language for parallel compute and graphics by Khronos Group, originally developed for use with OpenCL. The current version, SPIR-V, was announced in March 2015.
Purpose
OpenCL uses just-in-time compilation (JIT), necessitating one of two software distribution patterns: developers can distribute device-specific pre-compiled binaries, or they can distribute relevant source code, which is limited by the desire to protect intellectual property. SPIR enables the creation and distribution of device-independent binaries within the OpenCL stack.[1]
Versions
SPIR was originally introduced in 2011, the current version SPIR-V having been introduced in 2015.
- SPIR 1.2 based on LLVM IR version 3.2; part of OpenCL 1.2 Extension
- SPIR 2.0 based on LLVM IR version 3.4; part of OpenCL 2.0 Extension
- SPIR-V not based on LLVM IR; part of OpenCL 2.1 core as well as Vulkan core
LLVM-based versions
SPIR prior to the 2015 SPIR-V release was based on the LLVM Intermediate Representation. A provisional specification for SPIR 1.0 was announced in 2012.[2] Version 1.2 was announced at SIGGRAPH 2013,[3] with version 2.0 following at the same conference a year later.[4]
SPIR-V
SPIR-V is a rewritten version of SPIR announced in March 2015,[5] and released on Nov. 16 2015.[6] The SPIR family now includes a true cross-API standard that is fully defined by Khronos with native support for shader and kernel features.
Support for ingestion of SPIR-V will be incorporated in the core specification of both OpenCL 2.1 and the new Vulkan API for graphics and compute.
SPIR-V is a high-level intermediate language, exchanged in binary form. Functions are represented by a control flow graph of basic blocks, using static single assignment (SSA) form. Data structures retain high-level hierarchical representation. It is not lossy like previous byte-code or virtual machine-like intermediate representations used for graphical shaders. This allows higher performance lowering to target devices.[7]
See also
- High-Level Shading Language
- Cg (programming language)
- OpenGL Shading Language
- Tungsten Graphics Shader Infrastructure
- compute kernel
References
- ^ Farber, Rob (11 August 2014). "Commercial OpenCL! SPIR 2.0 Protects IP Yet Allows Powerful, Portable, Source Code Free Kernels". TechEnablement. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ Larabel, Michael (12 September 2012). "Khronos SPIR For OpenCL Brings Binary Compatibility". Phoronix. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ Smith, Ryan (22 July 2013). "Khronos @ SIGGRAPH 2013: OpenGL 4.4, OpenCL 2.0, & OpenCL 1.2 SPIR Announced". Anandtech. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ Smith, Ryan (11 August 2014). "Khronos Announces OpenCL SPIR 2.0". Anandtech. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ Parkerson, Stuart (4 March 2015). "Khronos Group Introduces New Vulkan Hardware Driver API and SPIR-V Intermediate Language Shared by Vulkan and OpenCL 2.1". App Developer Magazine. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ "Khronos Releases OpenCL 2.1 and SPIR-V 1.0 Specifications for Heterogeneous Parallel Programming". www.Khronos.org. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ Kessenich, John. "An Introduction to SPIR-V" (PDF). Khronos. Retrieved 25 July 2015.