Methods and hardware logic for loading ray tracing data into a shader processing unit of a graphics processing unit

Abstract

Shader processing units for a graphics processing unit that are configured to execute one or more ray tracing shaders that process ray data associated with one or more rays. The ray data for a ray includes a plurality of ray data elements. The shader processing unit comprises storage, and load logic. The load logic is configured to receive, as part of a ray tracing shader, a ray load instruction that comprises: (i) information identifying a load group of a plurality of load groups, each load group of the plurality of load groups comprising one or more ray data elements of the plurality of ray data elements, and (ii) information identifying one or more ray data elements of the identified load group to be retrieved from an external unit. In response to the ray load instruction, the load logic sends one or more load requests to the external unit which cause the external unit to retrieve the identified ray data elements of the identified load group for one or more rays. The received ray data elements are then stored in the storage of the shader processing unit for processing by the ray tracing shader.