#FPS: Functional Programmming for Shader languages

Design a new language for shaders to run on GPU. During this process, different (programming) language design concepts for Graphics and Compute shading languages will be explored. This repo tracks the developement of this language starting from Kernel language to experiments of adding various language features. Also, in parallel compiler will be developed to compile it down to SPIR-V IR format.

The development will be done in following phases:

1. Kernel Language

   Choosing a kernel language to start with. This will form the essential core of the language. There are some options which can be used. Like the core language desribed here. Or the FL language used in Tubrak's Design Concepts in Programming Languages book. Some other options like Tiger programming language defined in Appel's Modern Compiler Implementation.

2. Shading Language primitives

   Extending the core Kernel language to include shading computation primitives. The primitives such as scan, reduce are inspired by work done by Belloch. His work has shown how different languages can be mapped to Parallel vector models. He used different algorithms/models to map different languages to Parallel vector models.

3. Language extensions

   Different language extensions will be considered depending on the research literature. This will happen in parallel with Compiler development to assess implications of different language features.

4. Compiler development

   Compilation flow which will map the Language designed above to SPIR-V IR format.

5. Reference examples

   These are examples which will be representative set of GLSL and CL shaders which will be used to implement in new Language. The Compiler codegen will be compared with Reference implementation's SPIR-V format.

Motivation

Design

Compiler

Resources