Relaxed Memory Model Zoo

NVIDIA Tile IR Memory Model
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NVIDIA Tile IR Memory Model

2026 · NVIDIA · hardware, gpu, formal, scoped · axiomatic formalism

The memory model of NVIDIA's Tile IR, a tile-based virtual ISA introduced with CUDA 13.1 (2026) as a lower-level compilation target for tile programs (e.g. the experimental Triton-to-Tile-IR backend). This axiomatic, scoped model defines coherence order, happens-before, program order, 'morally strong' accesses, reads-from and token-based dependency ordering, with scopes tile_block/device/sys; global memory accesses are unordered by default. NVIDIA's documentation states the axioms and relations are intended to be a strict weakening of the PTX model. Vendor documentation only — no peer-reviewed formalisation or proof.

Properties

Property vector author-extrapolated — set only where the model’s definition pins the cell down (unknown cells are omitted); cells citing a specific source are marked.

Reordering sound
  • yes Store→Load
  • yes Store→Store
  • yes Load→Load
  • yes Load→Store
Reasoning guarantees
  • yes Coherence
  • no In-order execution
  • yes No out-of-thin-air
Atomicity guarantees
  • no Multicopy atomic

Ordering relationships

Strictly weaker than
  • NVIDIA PTX Memory Model — NVIDIA Tile IR docs §7: 'The axioms and relations of the Tile IR memory model are intended to be a strict weakening of the PTX memory model.' Vendor-asserted (note the hedged 'intended to be' language); not independently proven or machine-checked.

References