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CategoryAcceleration: Gpu
GPUYes

gpuInfo — Return a formatted status string that describes the active GPU provider.

gpuInfo() returns a concise, human-readable string that summarises the active GPU acceleration provider. It is a convenience wrapper around gpuDevice, intended for logging or displaying status information in the REPL and notebooks.

How does the gpuInfo function behave in MATLAB / RunMat?

  • Queries the same device metadata as gpuDevice() and formats the fields into GPU[key=value, ...].
  • Includes identifiers (device_id, index), descriptive strings (name, vendor, backend) and capability hints (precision, supports_double, memory_bytes when available).
  • Escapes string values using MATLAB-style single quote doubling so they are display-friendly.
  • When no acceleration provider is registered, returns the placeholder string GPU[no provider] instead of throwing an error, making it safe to call unconditionally.
  • Propagates unexpected errors (for example, if a provider fails while reporting metadata) so they can be diagnosed.

GPU residency

gpuInfo is a pure metadata query and never changes residency. Arrays stay wherever they already live (GPU or CPU). Use gpuArray, gather, or RunMat Accelerate's auto-offload heuristics to move data between devices as needed.

Examples of using gpuInfo in MATLAB / RunMat

Displaying GPU status in the REPL

disp(gpuInfo())

Expected output:

GPU[device_id=0, index=1, name='InProcess', vendor='RunMat', backend='inprocess', precision='double', supports_double=true]

Emitting a log line before a computation

fprintf("Running on %s\n", gpuInfo())

Expected output:

Running on GPU[device_id=0, index=1, name='InProcess', vendor='RunMat', backend='inprocess', precision='double', supports_double=true]

Checking for double precision support quickly

summary = gpuInfo();
if contains(summary, "supports_double=true")
    disp("Double precision kernels available.");
else
    disp("Falling back to single precision.");
end

Handling missing providers gracefully

% Safe even when acceleration is disabled
status = gpuInfo();
if status == "GPU[no provider]"
    warning("GPU acceleration is currently disabled.");
end

Combining gpuInfo with gpuDevice for structured data

info = gpuDevice();
summary = gpuInfo();
if isfield(info, 'memory_bytes')
    fprintf("%s (memory: %.2f GB)\n", summary, info.memory_bytes / 1e9);
else
    fprintf("%s (memory: unknown)\n", summary);
end

Expected output:

GPU[device_id=0, index=1, name='InProcess', vendor='RunMat', backend='inprocess', precision='double', supports_double=true] (memory: 15.99 GB)

FAQ

Does gpuInfo change GPU state?

No. It only reads metadata and formats it into a string.

Will gpuInfo throw an error when no provider is registered?

No. It returns GPU[no provider] so caller code can branch without exception handling.

How is gpuInfo different from gpuDevice?

gpuDevice returns a struct that you can inspect programmatically. gpuInfo formats the same information into a single string that is convenient for logging and display.

Does the output order of fields stay stable?

Yes. Fields are emitted in the same order as the gpuDevice struct: identifiers, descriptive strings, optional metadata, precision, and capability flags.

Are strings escaped in MATLAB style?

Yes. Single quotes are doubled (e.g., Ada'GPU becomes Ada''GPU) so the summary can be pasted back into MATLAB code without breaking literal syntax.

See also

gpuDevice, gpuArray, gather

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