“The start-up this week released Version 2.0 of its RapidMind Platform. This product lets developers use their comfy single-threaded software writing techniques to craft code for IBM’s Cell processor and an oncoming wave of so-called GPGPUs (general purpose GPUs) from Nvidia and ATI/AMD. In theory, RapidMind’s technology makes it possible for programmers to enjoy the massive performance gains provided by multi-core chips without having to learn any new tricks. Woof!“There is a whole generation of programmers that don’t have backgrounds in parallel programming,” RapidMind CEO Ray DePaul told us. “Instead of going back to school to learn that type of programming and the intricacies of different chip architectures, developers can use our product to take advantage of the new hardware right now.””
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Delaying an extinction event
The Register has a story on RapidMind, a startup that claims to be able to allow coders who have always programed for single core processors to be able to take advantage of multiple core speed advantages without needing to relearn their trade. If their promise holds true, it may significantly reduce the delay between Cell processors and GPGPU becoming commonly available and the arrival of software optimized to use them.