Trait ComputeTarget 

pub trait ComputeTarget {
    // Required methods
    fn source_extension(&self) -> &str;
    fn output_extension(&self) -> &str;
    fn output_is_text(&self) -> bool;
    fn find_compiler(&self) -> Option<PathBuf>;
    fn compile(
        &self,
        source: &Path,
        output: &Path,
        arch: &str,
        extra_flags: &[String],
    ) -> Result<(), String>;
    fn vendor(&self) -> Vendor;
}

2026-09-25: How one vendor compiles kernel source files into loadable modules. NvidiaTarget is the only implementation.

The diagram shows the flow of the kernel build, which uses its own trait of the same name in crates/kernels/build_target.rs, not this one.

[build.rs]                                [runtime]

.cu / .metal / .cl                        GpuBackend::new(modules)
       │                                         │
       ▼                                         ▼
 ComputeTarget::compile()              GpuBackend::kernel(name, fn)
       │                                         │
       ▼                                         ▼
  .ptx / .metallib / .spv              GpuBackend::launch(handle, ...)
       │
       ▼
 include_str!() / include_bytes!()
       │
       ▼
 Embedded in binary as &str / &[u8]

Required Methods

fn source_extension(&self) -> &str

2026-09-25: File extension of kernel source files, without the dot ("cu" for NvidiaTarget).

fn output_extension(&self) -> &str

2026-09-25: File extension of compiled modules, without the dot ("ptx" for NvidiaTarget).

fn output_is_text(&self) -> bool

2026-09-25: Whether the compiled output is text (include_str! can embed it) or binary (include_bytes! only).

fn find_compiler(&self) -> Option<PathBuf>

2026-09-25: The compiler executable, or None if it is not installed.

fn compile( &self, source: &Path, output: &Path, arch: &str, extra_flags: &[String], ) -> Result<(), String>

2026-09-25: Compile one kernel source file.

• source: the kernel source file;
• output: where to write the compiled module;
• arch: the target architecture string (e.g. "sm_121f");
• extra_flags: appended to the compiler arguments.

Returns Err with a message if the compiler cannot be started or fails; for NvidiaTarget the message carries nvcc’s stderr, and a path that is not UTF-8 panics.

fn vendor(&self) -> Vendor

Implementors

impl ComputeTarget for NvidiaTarget