M08---Programming using RapidMind on the Cell BE
Michael D. McCool, Bruce D’Amora · 2006
The multi-core Cell BE architecture has the potential to deliver high performance computation to many applications. However, it requires parallel programming on several levels and uses a memory model that requires explicit scheduling of memory transfers. The RapidMind development platform enables access to the power of the Cell BE by providing a simple data-parallel model of execution. It combines a dynamic compiler with a runtime streaming execution manager, and provides a single system image for computations running on multiple cores. The interface to this system is embedded inside ISO standard C++, where it can capture computations specified through an innovative metaprogrammed interface. This tutorial will introduce and demonstrate the use of the RapidMind platform on the Cell BE through a number of examples drawn from visualization and scientific computation.