(amdgpu-async-operations)=

# AMDGPU Asynchronous Operations


## Introduction

Asynchronous operations are operations whose completion is not tracked
internally by the compiler. A thread that initiates one or more async operations can use
*asyncmarks* to track their completion.

- Most {ref}`DMA operations <amdgpu-dma-operations>` are asynchronous.

## Asyncmarks

An *asyncmark* created by a thread can be used to track async operations
initiated by that thread.

### Current Sequence

The abstract machine maintains a sequence of asyncmarks during the execution of
a function body, which excludes any asyncmarks produced by calls to other
functions encountered in the currently executing function. The state of this
sequence at each program point in the function is called the *current sequence*.

### `@llvm.amdgcn.asyncmark()`

Produces an asyncmark and appends it to the current sequence.

### `@llvm.amdgcn.wait.asyncmark(i16 %N)`

Ensures that the length of the current sequence is at most `N` by removing
asyncmarks from the start of the sequence if it is more than `N`.

### Completion of Asyncmarks

An `asyncmark()` operation `X` that produces an asyncmark `M` is
*completed-at* a `wait.asyncmark()` operation `Y` in the same function body
if:

- `X` is *program-ordered* before `Y`, and
- `M` is not in the current sequence at any operation `Z` that immediately
  follows `Y` in *program-order*.

## Completion of Async Operations

An async operation executes outside the thread that initiated it, i.e., it is
not related in *program-order* with any other operations from that thread. But
the thread can use an asyncmark to ensure that the async operation is
*completed-at* some later operation.

An async operation `A` *initiated-by* an instruction `I` is *completed-at* some
`wait.asyncmark()` operation `Y` if there exists an `asyncmark()` operation `X`
such that:
- `I` is *program-ordered* before `X`, and
- `X` is *completed-at* `Y`.

### happens-before

When an instruction `I` initiates an async operation `A`, `I` *happens-before*
`A`.

If `A` is *completed-at* a `wait.asyncmark()` operation `Y`, then `A`
*happens-before* `Y`.

## Examples

### Uneven blocks of async operations

```c++
void foo(global int *g, local int *l) {
  // first block
  async_load_to_lds(l, g);
  async_load_to_lds(l, g);
  async_load_to_lds(l, g);
  asyncmark();

  // second block; longer
  async_load_to_lds(l, g);
  async_load_to_lds(l, g);
  async_load_to_lds(l, g);
  async_load_to_lds(l, g);
  async_load_to_lds(l, g);
  asyncmark();

  // third block; shorter
  async_load_to_lds(l, g);
  async_load_to_lds(l, g);
  asyncmark();

  // Wait for first block
  wait.asyncmark(2);
}
```

### Software pipeline

```c++
void foo(global int *g, local int *l) {
  // first block
  asyncmark();

  // second block
  asyncmark();

  // third block
  asyncmark();

  for (;;) {
    wait.asyncmark(2);
    // use data

    // next block
    asyncmark();
  }

  // flush one block
  wait.asyncmark(2);

  // flush one more block
  wait.asyncmark(1);

  // flush last block
  wait.asyncmark(0);
}
```

### Ordinary function call

```c++
extern void bar(); // may or may not initiate async operations

void foo(global int *g, local int *l) {
    // first block
    asyncmark();

    // second block
    asyncmark();

    // function call
    bar();

    // third block
    asyncmark();

    // wait for the second block
    wait.asyncmark(1);

    // wait for the third block, including bar()
    wait.asyncmark(0);
}
```

## Implementation notes

[This section is informational.]

### Function Calls

In general, at a function call, if the caller uses sufficient waits to track
its own async operations, the actions performed by the callee cannot affect
correctness. But inlining such a call may result in redundant waits.

```c++
void foo() {
  ...
  asyncmark();       // X
  ...                // no wait.asyncmark()
}

void bar() {
  asyncmark();       // B
  asyncmark();       // C
  foo();
  wait.asyncmark(1); // D
}
```

Before inlining, it is unspecified whether `X` is *completed-at* `D`, while
`C` is **not** *completed-at* `D`. The programmer can only rely on `B`
being *completed-at* `D`.

```c++
void bar() {
  asyncmark();       // B
  asyncmark();       // C
  ...
  asyncmark();       // X
  ...                // no wait.asyncmark()
  wait.asyncmark(1); // D
}
```

After inlining, `C` is also *completed-at* `D` and `X` is **not**
*completed-at* `D`.

Conversely, a `wait.asyncmark` call inside a callee cannot be used to track
asyncmarks from the caller, since this `wait.asyncmark` can only
observe the current sequence of the callee.

```c++
void foo() {
  ...                // no asyncmark()
  wait.asyncmark(0); // Y
  ...
}

void bar() {
  asyncmark();       // B
  asyncmark();       // C
  foo();
  wait.asyncmark(1); // D
}
```

In the above example, it is unspecified whether `B` and `C` in `bar()` are
*completed-at* `Y`, because they are not included in the sequence that can be
examined at `Y`.

```c++
void bar() {
  asyncmark();       // B
  asyncmark();       // C
  ...                // no asyncmark()
  wait.asyncmark(0); // Y
  ...
  wait.asyncmark(1); // D
}
```

After inlining, both `B` and `C` are *completed-at* `Y`.

### Optimization

The implementation may eliminate asyncmark/wait intrinsics in the following
cases. These are just examples and not meant to be an exhaustive list.

1. An `asyncmark` operation which remains in the current sequence along every
   path that reaches the function exit.

   ```c++
   void foo() {
     ...
     asyncmark();       // X
     ...                // no wait.asyncmark()
   }
   ```

   Here, `X` can be eliminated.

2. A `wait.asyncmark` which sees an empty sequence of asyncmarks along every
   path that reaches it.

   ```c++
   void foo() {
     ...                // no asyncmark()
     wait.asyncmark(0); // Y
     ...
   }
   ```

   Here, `Y` can be eliminated.