What is CUDA

CUDA is a parallel computing platform and application programming interface (API) model created by Nvidia. It works exclusively on Nvidia devices. CUDA allows software developers and software engineers to use a CUDA-enabled graphics processing unit (GPU) for general-purpose processing – an approach termed GPGPU (General-Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Units).

Certain algorithms handle a vast amount of data. Parallel computing often provides the most effective way to enhance the performance of these algorithms. Hence, delegating calculations to the GPU can be significantly faster than traditional CPU-based computation. CUDA can accelerate functions across various programming languages, including Python, C++, and Fortran. Its SDK was designed to simplify the use of GPUs in application development, providing tools, libraries, and a specialized NVCC compiler.

How it works

The code is divided into two parts: one for the CPU and one for the GPU. When a CUDA program is executed, it is initially loaded onto the CPU. The CPU then transfers the data and instructions to the GPU, which performs the computations in parallel. The results are then transferred back to the CPU for further processing or output.

GPUs are equipped with a significantly larger number of computing cores than CPUs, enabling them to perform a much greater number of calculations in parallel. By leveraging CUDA, programmers can efficiently manage this process and complete tasks at a much faster rate.