Host software glossary

Host software glossary#

2026-02-20

4 min read time

Applies to Linux and Windows

This section provides brief definitions of development tools, compilers, libraries, and runtime environments for programming AMD GPUs.

AMD SMI#: The amd-smi command-line utility queries, monitors, and manages AMD GPU state, providing hardware information and performance metrics. See amdsmi:index for detailed usage.
HIP C++ language extension#: HIP extends the C++ language with additional features designed for programming heterogeneous applications. These extensions mostly relate to the kernel language, but some can also be applied to host functionality. See hip:how-to/hip_cpp_language_extensions for language fundamentals.
HIP compiler#: The HIP compiler amdclang++ compiles HIP C++ programs into binaries that contain both host CPU and device GPU code. See llvm-project:reference/rocmcc for compiler flags and options.
HIP runtime API#: The HIP runtime API provides an interface for GPU programming, offering functions for memory management, kernel launches, and synchronization. See hip:hip_runtime_api_how-to for API overview.
HIP runtime compiler#: The HIP Runtime Compiler (HIPRTC) compiles HIP source code at runtime into AMDGPU binary code objects, enabling just-in-time kernel generation, device-specific optimization, and dynamic code creation for different GPUs. See hip:hip_runtime_compiler_how-to for API details.
ROCgdb#: ROCgdb is AMD’s source-level debugger for HIP and ROCm applications, enabling debugging of both host CPU and GPU device code, including kernel breakpoints, stepping, and variable inspection. See rocgdb:index for usage and command reference.
ROCm and LLVM binary utilities#: ROCm and LLVM binary utilities are command-line tools for examining and manipulating GPU binaries and code objects. See hip:binary_utilities for utility details.
ROCm software platform#: ROCm is AMD’s GPU software stack, providing compiler toolchains, runtime environments, and performance libraries for HPC and AI applications. See What is ROCm? for a complete component overview.
rocprofv3#: rocprofv3 is AMD’s primary performance analysis tool, providing profiling, tracing, and performance counter collection. See rocprofiler-sdk:using-rocprofv3 for profiling workflows.