XDC2017 To Feature Update On New Memory Allocation API, HDR, GPGPU, GLVND

There is now less than one month to go until the annual X.Org Developers' Conference kicks off in Mountain View at the Googleplex. As such, the conference program is now filling up with the interesting talks.

One of the talks we are very much looking forward to is James Jones' update on a new Unix Device Memory Allocation API. NVIDIA has continued working on a new memory allocation API suitable for OpenGL and Vulkan that will hopefully be adopted cross-vendor and end up being used by Wayland compositors rather than relying upon Mesa's GBM. At XDC2017, NVIDIA is expected to present a design proposal and some of their prototype code. NVIDIA also has talks about DeepColor for HDR (High Dynamic Range) monitor support under X11 as well as on GLVND, the OpenGL Vendor Neutral Dispatch Library.

Intel developers have a number of talks as usual from working on end-to-end compression, full GPU virtualization via mediated pass-through, atomic kernel mode-setting, frame analysis with GPU performance counters, continuous integration, tooling, and Mesa i965.

As of writing there are no AMD/Radeon talks scheduled for XDC2017, though Alex Deucher, Marek Olsak, and Harry Wentland of AMD are scheduled to be at the event this year.

Other talks include an update on the VC4 driver stack, future directions with the new VC5 driver including for OpenCL and Vulkan support, open-source GPGPU, and even an updated on the OpenChrome driver.

The tentative program can be found via the X.Org Wiki. XDC2017 is scheduled for 20 to 22 September at the Googleplex. I'll be working on remote live coverage this year.