The Luxembourg SuperComputing Competence Center will host a half-day online course introducing OpenACC for Heterogeneous Computing. The course will be divided into two parts: the first will cover theoretical concepts, while the second will focus on practical, hands-on challenges using the MeluXina supercomputer.
Who should attend?
This course is ideal for current and prospective users of large hybrid CPU/GPU clusters and supercomputers who develop or parallelize scientific computing applications leveraging the power of GPUs.
What will you learn and how?
Participants in this course will learn GPU programming using the OpenACC programming model, covering the following:
• Compute constructs, loop constructs, and data clauses.
• GPU architecture and how parallel thread blocks are created and used to parallelize computational tasks.
• Memory management between the GPU and CPU, with a detailed discussion on best practices.
• Accelerating linear algebra routines and iterative solvers using the OpenACC programming model.
The course includes theoretical lessons followed by hands-on sessions guided by experienced mentors.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
1. Understand GPU Architecture
a. Learn the differences between GPUs and CPUs.
b. Grasp concepts such as streaming architecture and thread blocks.
2. Implement the OpenACC Programming Model
a. Apply compute constructs, loop constructs, and data clauses.
3. Efficiently Handle Memory Management
a. Manage host-to-device and device-to-host memory transfers.
b. Utilize unified memory.
4. Apply OpenACC Programming Knowledge
a. Accelerate examples from science and engineering.
b. Work on tasks such as iterative solvers, vector multiplication, and vector addition.
 
Prerequisites
Priority will be given to participants with experience in C/C++ or FORTRAN. No prior GPU programming knowledge is required, but familiarity with the OpenMP programming model is advantageous.
Computing Resources
Participants will have access to the MeluXina supercomputer during the training. For more information about MeluXina, please refer to the Meluxina overview and the MeluXina – Getting Started Guide.
Agenda
This half-day course will be hosted online in Central European Time (CET) on March 25th, 2025 (1:00 PM – 5:00 PM CET). Communication channels will include Zoom, Slack, and email.
Schedule
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM: Lecture Part 1
1:45 PM – 2:00 PM: Break
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM: Lecture Part 2
2:45 PM – 3:00 PM: Break
3:00 PM – 4:45 PM: Hands-on Lab
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM: Q&A
Important: Limited spots available!
Contact person for more information:
Ezhilmathi KRISHNASAMY - ezhilmathi.krishnasamy[at]uni.lu
