Overview

• A new extension to the RISC-V ISA designed to enhance its capabilities for GPGPU and graphics applications.
• Vortex, a PCIe-based soft GPU, supports OpenCL and OpenGL, showcasing the potential for scalable, open-source GPUs.

Focused Innovations:

• ISA Extension: Minimalist changes to the RISC-V ISA allow for support of complex graphic and GPGPU tasks with minimal disruption to the existing ecosystem.
• FPGA Implementation: Implementation on an Altera Stratix 10 FPGA demonstrates peak performance capabilities.
• Application Versatility: Vortex can handle multiple applications, from machine learning to graphics rendering, proving its versatility and utility.

The RISC-V Vortex project represents a significant step towards democratizing hardware acceleration for GPUs, opening up new possibilities for innovation in both academia and industry.