OpenCL (or Other) Programming for ASIC devices?

Question

I've recently learned some of the tools of GPGPU and parallel programming (OpenCL, CUDA, C++ AMP, and OpenMP) and have been looking for more things to tinker with.

I know that there are purpose-built USB ASIC devices for fast bitcoin mining ("block eruptor"). Is there a way to program these via OpenCL or another GPGPU-like API? It seems that although they may have been built for a specific purpose, they might have computing power that can be used for other tasks.

They can't be used for other tasks. The only computation those devices can do is calculating hashes. — Violet Giraffe, Sep 08 '13 at 08:35

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 08 '13 at 11:46

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I think you are clearly miss-informed and messing things here.

OpenCL, CUDA, C++ AMP, and OpenMP: are programming languages that run into devices that can be programmed (CPU/GPU/FPGA).

ASIC devices are chip (Hardware) designed for a specific purpose. They are fast, cheap, and low power but that is because they have only 1 function (the HW is NOT configurable). The one you designed in the manufacture process.

So, no. You cannot use OpenCL to program an ASIC.

answered Sep 08 '13 at 11:46

DarkZeros

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This answer is confusing. What prevents one from converting their OpenCL kernel to FPGA bitstream and then to ASIC? – Penghe Geng Aug 29 '16 at 15:46

OpenCL (or Other) Programming for ASIC devices?

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