Introduction to Parallel Programming
Welcome to the world of graphics processing unit (GPU) programming!
Before we talk about programming GPUs, we must understand what parallel programming is and how it can benefit our applications. As with everything in life, it has its challenges. In this chapter, we’ll explore both the benefits and drawbacks of parallel programming, laying the groundwork for our deep dive into GPU programming. So in this first chapter, we’ll be discussing a variety of topics without developing any code. In doing so, we’ll establish the foundations on which to build throughout our journey.
Apart from being useful, the information provided in this chapter is fundamental to understanding what happens inside a GPU, as we’ll discuss shortly. By the end of the chapter, you’ll understand why parallelism is important and when it makes sense to use it in your applications.
In this chapter, we’re going to cover the following...
