Welcome to Plane Wave Volume 6, Issue 5. We hope you find these newsletters informative and interesting; we welcome your suggestions for future topics.
Software Update Now Available for Vantage™ System Customers
Verasonics is pleased to make available to customers its latest Vantage™ software release (ver. 4.8.4), with enhancements to High-Performance Computing and the introduction of GPU Toolkit with GPU Direct. This software release is now available for download.
High-Performance Computing Updates – Multi-threaded code
Verasonics’ High Performance Computing options enable the use of advanced computing technologies and programming techniques. These capabilities include advanced methods for process-intensive programming using either the CPU or a GPU, combined with advanced hardware solutions such as high-speed data transfer and powerful host controllers. Ultrasound researchers can leverage a variety of tools, guidelines, and workflows resulting in reduced latency, improved frame rate, and increased data processing speed.
In the Vantage 4.8.4 release, Verasonics has added a guided framework and example scripts for users to develop their own compiled multi-threaded C/C++ code that will work in the Vantage-MATLAB® environment. This will enable a user to write a processing algorithm in C/C++ and embed it in the provided framework to parallelize their algorithm across all the available CPU cores. Multi-threading can optimize performance in a variety of operations, as noted below.
GPU Toolkit with GPU Direct Option
The Verasonics GPU Toolkit Options can accelerate Vantage System data transfer for better performance; researchers can now process data on a GPU more efficiently. Available in two versions, GPU Toolkit and GPU Toolkit with GPU Direct, these options are also available with an NVIDIA GPU card, Specialty Host Controller, and software license(s). These options offer the following features:
- User-selected memory allocation of the Vantage buffers used in the image reconstruction process. The current default for the system is the CPU, new choices include:
- CUDA-allocated host memory that enables faster asynchronous memory copies between the host computer and the GPU device.
- CUDA-allocated unified memory that simplifies CUDA programming by leveraging NVIDIA’s unified memory architecture.
- An Event Profiling Tool that allows users to see timing information for each operation in the event sequence. This provides users with the information needed to identify bottlenecks in data processing pipelines; this can help focus optimization efforts most efficiently.
- A 1-step compilation of CUDA source code into .mex files that does not require the MATLAB® Parallel Computing Toolbox.
- A set of example codes that illustrate how to properly write synchronous or asynchronous acquisition sequences that leverage GPU external functions.
Beyond Image Reconstruction and GPU Toolkit
For Vantage users who are performing signal processing or their own image reconstructions on the GPU, please consider GPU Toolkit with GPU Direct. This option allows researchers to move data directly from the Vantage System to the graphic card as shown below.
For researchers who have already implemented RF Data processing algorithms on the GPU or are planning to do so, GPU Toolkit with GPU Direct technology writes the RF data directly to the GPU memory, bypassing the host controller CPU and RAM. This reduces the overall latency by removing an extra memory copy operation. For processing algorithms such as 3D reconstruction and super-resolution imaging, this optimization reduces the overall processing time.
Please note that GPU Toolkit with GPU Direct technology is only relevant to writing RF Data directly to the GPU. These options are available as complete packages that include license(s), Specialty Host Controller and GPU Card or as license-only offerings. Learn more.
Recap of IEEE-IUS
The Verasonics’ team recently returned from an excellent meeting sharing the latest advances in research ultrasound technology with customers, friends and colleagues at the IEEE-IUS 2022 Symposium in Venice, Italy. Our executives and ultrasound scientists participated in productive meetings with researchers from around the world. Verasonics presented three research posters, took part in a panel discussion, presented a patron seminar, and offered a short course as part of the conference. For more detail on our efforts, visit our last issue of Plane Wave.
Visit the Verasonics Community Portal
The Verasonics Community is a unique resource that provides customers with access to Vantage training materials, product documentation and programming scripts. This information allows Verasonics customers to expand their knowledge and use of their Vantage Research Ultrasound Systems.
If you are a Vantage system user, simply register at the Verasonics Community by using your name, affiliated institution, and institutional e-mail address to create log-in credentials. Please note that personal e-mail addresses are not recognized for registration at the Verasonics Community. Customers have 24/7, no-cost access to the Verasonics Community.
The Community also includes videos of our popular “Meet the Ultrasound Scientist” training webinars. Four sessions were held in 2022, covering a variety of topics important to the Verasonics research community. 2023 topics and speakers are under development – watch our training page and next issue of Plane Wave for more details.
For information on featured products, or other Verasonics’ solutions, please contact our sales consulting team at [email protected].