Intel oneAPI FAQ Part 1: What is oneAPI?
Blog|by Leanne Bevan|18 January 2021

In December 2020 Intel Software officially launched Intel oneAPI. We have had questions about what oneAPI is and what that means for Intel Parallel Studio and Intel System Studio customers – how do they transition? In this FAQ-style blog series, we will delve into all this in more detail for you.
In the first part of this series, we will cover the very basics of what oneAPI is.
What is oneAPI?
oneAPI is an industry initiative creating an open, standards-based, cross-architecture programming model to simplify development for a wide range of data-centric workloads across a variety of architectures (CPU, GPU, FPGA, and other accelerators). It includes a cross-architecture language Data Parallel C++ (based on ISO C++ and Khronos Group’s SYCL), advanced libraries, and community extensions.
What’s included in the oneAPI Toolkits?
Intel has created a product implementation of oneAPI with the Intel oneAPI Toolkits. These help developers efficiently build, analyse, and optimise high-performance, cross-architecture applications for Intel CPUs, GPUs and FPGAs.
Note: The tools that comprised Intel Parallel Studio XE and Intel System Studio are now integrated into Intel’s oneAPI Products. The Intel oneAPI Toolkits are upward compatible supersets of the features in the previous studio products, so the studio products will no longer be offered to new customers in 2021.
Toolkits:
- Intel oneAPI Base Toolkit
- Intel oneAPI HPC Toolkit
- Intel oneAPI IoT Toolkit
- Intel oneAPI Rendering Toolkit (please contact us for more information)
Here is a breakdown of what’s included in three of the main toolkits:

Find out more about these toolkits in part 2 of this blog series.
Will you have to port or rewrite existing code to take advantage of oneAPI?
No, oneAPI coexists with existing languages and programming models such as C, C++, Fortran, Python, MPI and OpenMP. However, if you have an application written in CUDA, some parts may need to be rewritten. Although, the Intel DPC++ Compatibility Tool will help CUDA developers migrate to oneAPI. Note, you will have to manually edit the output of the tool to address code that could not be migrated.
Which CPU, GPU, FPGA and specialised accelerators are supported?
Intel oneAPI currently supports Intel CPUs (Intel Xeon, Core, Atom), Intel Arria and Stratix 10 FPGAs, as well as the Intel Gen9 and Gen11 Processor Graphics as a proxy development platform for future Intel discrete data center GPUs. More Intel accelerator architectures will be added over time.
Will the oneAPI specification element be open sourced?
Many of the components and libraries are or will soon be open sourced, including the oneAPI DPC++ Compiler.
Find out more
Part 2 of this blog series gives more detail on the Intel oneAPI Toolkits – what’s included, how the licensing works and so on. Read Part 2 now.
If you have any initial questions, please get in touch. Grey Matter is honoured to be an Intel Software Elite Reseller. We work very closely with Intel and know the ins and outs of how the licensing works. We can help you navigate the different options available to ensure that you are using the right tools for your development needs. Call +44 (0) 1364 655 123 or email info@greymatter.com.
Intel is hosting a technical online workshop all about the Intel oneAPI Rendering Toolkit on 8 June 2021. Find out more and sign up here.
Contact Grey Matter
If you have any questions or want some extra information, complete the form below and one of the team will be in touch ASAP. If you have a specific use case, please let us know and we'll help you find the right solution faster.
By submitting this form you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Website Terms of Use.
Leanne Bevan
Related News
Seamless Data Protection: The Perfect Marriage of Veeam and Wasabi
In today’s data-driven world, businesses face the critical challenge of ensuring the safety and accessibility of their ever-expanding volumes of data. As organizations increasingly turn to cloud solutions for data storage and backup, the combination of Veeam and Wasabi emerges...
Safeguarding Success: The Case for Acronis and the Advantages of Purchasing Through Grey Matter
In the fast-paced and interconnected world of business, data has become the lifeblood of organisations. The ability to securely store, manage, and recover data is crucial for business continuity and success. Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, offers a...
Why use RAD Studio Architect Edition?
Elevate your development capabilities with RAD Studio 12 Architect, the most advanced RAD Studio edition with the broadest feature set. RAD Studio 12 Architect can enable enterprise-level data services and integrations with Embarcadero’s homegrown tools and services, like Aqua Data...
Intel product transition information
Intel upgrade options Intel® Parallel Studio XE users, please consider upgrading to Intel® oneAPI Base & HPC Toolkit to take advantage of the latest features including functional and security updates. Intel® System Studio and Intel® oneAPI Base & IOT Toolkit...