Will OpenCL replace CUDA?
This is a more interesting question. The OpenCL JumpStart Guide from NVIDIA points out that CUDA has two library API layers. There is a Runtime API, which includes some language syntax extensions, and which automates some of the handshaking between the host thread and the compute device. There is also a lower level, Driver API, which requires the programmer to manage all the interaction between the host and the device. OpenCL is quite similar in many respects to CUDA using the Driver API, and the above mentioned JumpStart Guide gives the correspondence between the two. Will NVIDIA adopt OpenCL in place of CUDA? That would be silly; NVIDIA already has a large contingent of CUDA users, and CUDA C does include the higher level, easier-to-use Runtime API. NVIDIA has had a two-year head start in the GPU/Accelerator programming game. While OpenCL has the potential to level the playing field somewhat, the CUDA Runtime API gives NVIDIA a slight edge in programmability, so NVIDIA will not likel
