The world of computing is rapidly evolving, with accelerators like GPUs, FPGAs, and specialized AI processors becoming integral to modern technology. This shift has led to the need for a unified approach to developing software that can work seamlessly across these diverse architectures. In this interview, Rod Burns, VP Ecosystem at Codeplay Software, talks about Unified Acceleration (UXL) Foundation, a new initiative aimed at creating a multi-vendor, multi-architecture platform for developers to write applications for all accelerators, based on open standards and open source projects.

Burns also emphasizes the importance of collaboration in open-source projects for AI/ML, and the need for a centralized foundation to maintain and develop libraries and APIs for various applications.

“Our mission is to create the largest open ecosystem and what we do is we work with companies building processors to implement open standards. Additionally, we enagage closely with the developer community to help them understand and utilize these standards. We also work with open standards organizations to define these standards and contribute to open-source projects,” says Burns.

Codeplay and UXL Foundation, addressing the need for a unified way to develop software for accelerators

• Burns discusses the company’s mission to build an open ecosystem for processors and their work with Intel and the Linux Foundation.
• Codeplay’s UXL Foundation is built upon the oneAPI Initiative and open source projects, with the goal of creating a governance model that allows for open contributions and democratization of standards.
• Burns discusses the landscape of computing, including the growing use of accelerators (GPUs, FPGAs and AI processors) and the need for a unified way to develop software for them.

Open-source collaboration for AI and processor development

• Burns highlights a diverse group of members contributing to open-source projects, including tech giants like Google, Intel, and Samsung.
• UXL Foundation seeks multi-vendor and software developer involvement to standardize AI and math APIs.
• While the oneAPI initiative has primarily focused on high-performance computing (HPC) and supercomputers, the UXL Foundation’s vision extends beyond these domains. With members like Qualcomm and Samsung on board, the foundation aims to explore new use cases in areas like automotive technology.

Open-source project for high-performance computing APIs

• Burns discusses Foundation’s projects, including oneMKL (math library), oneDNN (neural network library), and oneDPL (ISO C++ parallel routines).
• The foundation aims to provide highly optimized versions of these operations across different vendor architectures.

The Path Forward

• As the foundation continues to grow, it will seek to expand its community by attracting more processor vendors and software developers.

Guest: Rod Burns (LinkedIn)
Company: Codeplay Software (Twitter)

This summary was written by Monika Chauhan.