(j3.2006) IEEE and the GPU world

[John Reid]

Keith Bierman wrote:
> The issues raised by GPUs are not new; we had them with attached array 
> processors (FPS, et al), and on non-homogeneous processors (e.g. the 
> Cydra5 which had a VLIW numeric engine, and multiple 68K processors, and 
> program execution was transparently split (well, transparent to the 
> user, the folks making the system work certainly had no automatic tools!).
> 
> So I suggest the language be made slightly more generic to handle any 
> combination of IEEE and nonIEEE fp hardware, irrespective of what the 
> device is otherwise intended to do.
> 
> If a /note/ has to be included to spell out what a GPU is, and that 
> contemporary GPUs can fit into this role so be it. But I would have 
> argued that it's such a common term, it would like spelling out CPU ... 
> which is sometimes the correct pedantic thing to do, but is hardly 
> necessary in the context of an interpretation.

Except on the first line and the keywords, I have changed "GPU" to processor.

John.