Frequently Asked Questions#

General questions#

Which platforms support PVA?#

For supported Jetson Orin platforms, refer to the section “View Jetson Orin Technical Specifications” on the Jetson Orin page.

For supported DRIVE platforms, refer to the hardware specification section on the DRIVE AGX page.

Where can I learn more about the PVA processor architecture?#

Learn about the PVA processor architecture here.

What is the compatibility between PVA SDK versions and DRIVE OS / JetPack versions?#

Refer to the release notes to learn about which operating systems are supported by a specific version of the PVA SDK.

How does PVA SDK help VPI developers?#

NVIDIA’s Vision Programming Interface (VPI) provides Jetson developers with a suite of pre-built image processing and computer vision algorithms. Each algorithm can be targeted to the different hardware backends available on the Jetson platform, including CUDA and PVA.

While VPI provides a rich set of algorithms, it does not provide the flexibility to develop custom PVA workloads. To develop custom PVA algorithms which are not supported by VPI, the PVA SDK is required.

PVA is a fully programmable multi-core SIMD DSP. This means that in addition to image processing and computer vision workloads, PVA is also suitable for any algorithm that can be vectorized using SIMD instructions. This includes workloads such as processing data from sensors like Radar, LiDAR, etc.

Where can I find code examples for PVA?#

The PVA SDK includes a number of sample applications to demonstrate the basic programming model.
Each of the step-by-step tutorials is distributed as a complete application which can be compiled and run.
PVA Solutions is a repository containing optimized operators and primitives for the PVA.

Where can I learn about the latest features and updates in PVA SDK and Solutions?#

Refer to the release notes of the current and previous versions to learn more about new features, enhancements, and bug fixes:

Licensing#

Do I need to purchase a Synopsys ASIP Programmer license to use the PVA SDK?#

A Synopsys ASIP Programmer license is required to:

Compile VPU code for relevant Jetson and DRIVE devices, and
Access on-chip debugging capabilities.

You can request an evaluation license from Synopsys here.

Other features of the PVA SDK are accessible without an installed Synopsys license, including:

Compiling, running, and debugging VPU code on using the x86 emulator, which is functionally bit-exact to the hardware.
Evaluating the programming model and completing step-by-step tutorials in native mode
Compiling PVA host scheduling code for the hardware targets to schedule pre-compiled workloads on those devices

How do I obtain a commercial license of ASIP Programmer?#

The commercial license for the ASIP Programmer should be obtained directly from Synopsys.

Request for a license by sending an email to Synopsys (asipinfo@synopsys.com) with the below information, and copy your NVIDIA representative.

Function: Programmable Vision Accelerator (PVA)
Product name: <Select required product(s) with code listed below>
  ASIP Prog NVIDIA_VPU_Orin (Synopsys Product Code : G133-0)
  ASIP Prog NVIDIA_VPU_Thor (Synopsys Product Code : J272-0)
Number of Licenses: <Provide the number of licenses required>

ASIP Programmer includes a graphical IDE, a C/C++ compiler, an instruction-set simulator (ISS), and a debugger. Each commercial license purchased allows you to run an unlimited number of instances of the IDE, ISS and debugger concurrently on a single host computer from a single display.

Do I need to purchase a Synopsys ASIP Programmer license to use pre-compiled PVA binaries?#

No, you do not need to purchase a Synopsys ASIP Programmer license to use pre-compiled PVA binaries. For example, customers who want to use PVA through NVIDIA DriveWorks or VPI, or VPU algorithm binaries supplied by NVIDIA or a partner do not need a Synopsys license.

Do my customers need to purchase a Synopsys ASIP Programmer license to use PVA binaries which I build using the PVA SDK?#

No.

Can I freely redistribute the PVA SDK?#

In general, no, but there are exceptions for distributing the PVA SDK to contractors who are working on your behalf. Refer to the PVA SDK license agreements for more information.

PVA SDK features#

What development and debugging features does the PVA SDK provide?#

PVA SDK is equipped with a suite of tools designed for debugging and profiling PVA applications.

Symbolic debugging of VPU applications is possible over a network connection or JTAG interface. Refer to the On-chip debugging documentation for more information.

Non-intrusive profiling is supported using NVIDIA Nsight Systems, information about using Nsight Systems with PVA is available here.

Intrusive profiling and debugging is supported via the cuPVA host utilities APIs on host side, as well as the PerfmonCounters device side API. The runtime also supports printf from device code.

The provided step-by-step tutorials introduce methodologies and tools to evaluate application performance, assisting in identifying whether performance objectives are met and pinpointing potential efficiency bottlenecks.

Is it possible to integrate PVA and CUDA tasks into a single pipeline using PVA SDK?#

Yes, the cuPVA runtime directly supports submitting PVA workloads to CUDA streams, and configuring PVA workloads to read and write CUDA memory directly.

Supported algorithms#

How can I request a new algorithm in PVA Solutions?#

Developers can submit their questions, issues/bugs, or enhancement requests related to PVA Solutions or the SDK on NVIDIA Forums. If you are a customer working with an NVIDIA rep, please reach out to them with your inquiries or requests.

Can I contribute my customer VPU-based algorithm implementations to PVA Solutions library?#

PVA solutions does not currently accept contributions from the community.

Does PVA support LiDAR and RADAR data processing?#

Yes. As a programmable VLIW SIMD DSP, PVA is well suited for algorithms operating on sensor data such as LiDAR and RADAR.

NVIDIA is considering adding samples to show LiDAR//RADAR processing in a future release. Please share feedback and interest on NVIDIA Forums or reach out to your NVIDIA representative for support.