Question 1

How does Thrust compare to C++17 parallel algorithms?

Accepted Answer

Thrust inspired C++17 parallel algorithms and offers similar high-level abstractions but adds GPU support via CUDA and more backends. For CPU-only projects, std::execution::par might be more standard, but Thrust is better for cross-platform portability including GPUs.

Question 2

How to use Thrust with OpenMP on CPU?

Accepted Answer

Set compiler flags like -DTHRUST_HOST_SYSTEM=THRUST_HOST_SYSTEM_OMP and -DTHRUST_DEVICE_SYSTEM=THRUST_DEVICE_SYSTEM_OMP, and ensure OpenMP is enabled in your compiler. Include Thrust headers as usual, and refer to the configuration section in the README for details.

Question 3

Can Thrust work without an NVIDIA GPU?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Thrust can run on CPUs using backends like CPP, OMP, or TBB by setting the device system accordingly. This allows parallel execution on multicore CPUs without CUDA, as mentioned in the backend options.

Question 4

What's the difference between thrust::device_vector and host_vector?

Accepted Answer

thrust::device_vector stores data in GPU memory when using the CUDA backend, while host_vector uses CPU memory. They enable seamless data transfer between host and device, as shown in examples where vectors are copied for sorting and reduction.

Question 5

How to perform asynchronous operations in Thrust?

Accepted Answer

Use the thrust::async namespace, such as thrust::async::copy for data transfer and thrust::async::reduce for computations. This allows overlapping operations to improve performance, demonstrated in the async example with device_event and device_future.

Question 6

Is Thrust still maintained since the repo is archived?

Accepted Answer

The Thrust repository is archived, but active development continues in the unified nvidia/cccl repository. Users should visit the new repo for latest updates, as indicated in the README announcement.

Question 7

How to install Thrust in a CMake project?

Accepted Answer

For CMake projects, use find_package or add_subdirectory, with details in the CMake README. Alternatively, use tools like CPM.cmake for package management, as suggested in the 'Using Thrust From Your Project' section.

Thrust

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