AMD asks developer to take down open source ZLUDA, dev vows to rebuild his project

Earlier this year, AMD quietly stopped funding ZLUDA, an open-source CUDA translation layer project that allowed to execute programs originally compiled for Nvidia CUDA GPUs on AMD Radeon processors supported by the the ROCm software stack. But recently Nvidia banned usage of translation layers with CUDA-based software, which could potentially cause legal troubles for AMD, so the company now asked Andrzej Janik, the developer behind ZLUDA to take the code down, reports Phoronix. 

“The code that was previously here has been taken down at AMD’s request,” the developer wrote at the project’s GitHub page. “The code was released with AMD’s approval through an email. AMD’s legal department now says it’s not legally binding, hence the rollback. Before anyone asks: I have received no legal threats or any communication from Nvidia.” 

Andrzej Janik, the developer behind ZLUDA, initially created the project for Intel GPUs using the Level Zero software stack. After receiving support from AMD, Janik successfully modified ZLUDA to work on AMD GPUs, enabling various CUDA applications to run smoothly. 

The agreement between Janik and AMD allowed for the code to be made open source if the contract ended. In February, following the termination of AMD’s funding, the ZLUDA code was released publicly. However, AMD’s legal team now requested its removal from the GitHub repository, claiming the release was not legally binding. This development was surprising, given the project’s potential to support CUDA on Radeon hardware, a benefit for AMD. 

Despite the setback, Janik expressed his intention to rebuild ZLUDA from its pre-AMD codebase. The rebuilt version will have a different scope and will not include certain features, such as planned support for Nvidia GameWorks. 

Janik is currently working on securing new funding for the project and is considering various directions for its future. It remains uncertain whether the new ZLUDA will focus on Intel GPUs, as initially planned, or adopt a new design for AMD GPUs. 

“At this point, one more hostile corporation does not make much difference,” Janik wrote. “I plan to rebuild ZLUDA starting from the pre-AMD codebase. Funding for the project is coming along and I hope to be able to share the details in the coming weeks. It will have a different scope and certain features will not come back. I wanted it to be a surprise, but one of those features was support for NVIDIA GameWorks. I got it working in Batman: Arkham Knight, but I never finished it, and now that code will never see the light of the day.” 

While the official ZLUDA code has been removed from GitHub, it likely still exists in cloned repositories, Phoronix suggests.