Kernel Development

Write your own Sparsr kernels.

This path is for people who want to program the Sparsr processor directly. You install the Sparsr SDK, you write a kernel, and you call it from a host application in C, C++ or C#.

You need the SDK and a cross-toolchain for this path. If you only want to use a library that is already built on top of Sparsr, you do not need either — go back to the home page and pick the path that matches what you are building.

Two languages, and they do not target the same device. A kernel written in C is RV32I and runs on the Sparsr VM. A kernel written in Sparsr Assembly is MIPS and is what today's FPGA hardware decodes. Pick by where you need to run it; the two will converge when the hardware moves to RV32I.

Pages in this chapter

• Getting Started — install the SDK and run your first kernel.
• Writing a Kernel in C — a kernel is ordinary C. Start here.
• Writing a Kernel in Sparsr Assembly — the register file, the wide instructions, and how a kernel is put together.
• Host App Development — how your program loads a kernel, moves data, and runs it.
• Tooling & CLI Reference — spasm, the Sparsr assembler.
• API Reference — every host function, in C and in .NET.

The Reference chapter has the architecture, the instruction set, and the software emulator. Kernel authors read all three.