d4r/docs/windows-rdna4-port.md

# Windows / RDNA4 port

Branch: `windows-rdna4`. Target: Windows 11 x64, RX 9070 XT, **gfx1201**.
Priority: correct K, correct M, native Windows, same-frame output, then speed.
This is a work log for an implementation in progress, not a claim of DLSS support.

## Milestone and gates

Current milestone: M1/M2 passed on the physical RX 9070 XT; next: independent
Windows D3D12/HIP interop and validated gfx12 WMMA, before NGX integration.
Do not integrate NGX until the integer PTX workload is stable on the real GPU.

| Gate | Status |
| --- | --- |
| M0: branch, audit, Windows build and diagnostics | Initial implementation complete |
| M1: native HIP gfx1201 allocation, kernel, CPU verification | PASS, 32 iterations + guard verification |
| M2: Windows ZLUDA integer PTX, primary and created contexts | PASS, 32 iterations each + guard verification |
| M3: Windows NGX initialization and simple DLSS path | Pending |
| M4: D3D12 / HIP external memory and fence round trip | Pending |
| M5: independently validated gfx12 WMMA backend | Pending |
| M6: K layers, full transformer and image validation | Pending |
| M7: M FP16-equivalent baseline and full transformer | Pending |
| M8: standalone Windows D3D12 NGX harness | Pending |
| M9: OptiScaler integration, profiling, installation | Pending |

## Source baseline (checked 2026-09-29)

* d4r: `ed1ab60`, main, 14 commits; https://github.com/countervolts/d4r.
* ZLUDA master: `ee2f25a180099fa42f36b2346732e1f2470a03ad`,
  2026-09-22. This is also the base named by d4r's existing patches.
* Windows binary baseline: ZLUDA `v7-preview.11`,
  `zluda-windows-ee2f25a.zip`, SHA256
  `7788c1ed43385e62f0cc5f4d1aead24c92b671c02f1d685f63182540dea16d74`.
* Local HIP SDK: `C:\Program Files\AMD\ROCm\7.2`, headers report
  `7.2.60201`, commit `38d754472`. Compiler: AMD clang 21,
  LLVM commit `590b9320a5be90e40268759c6203c01fde121e68`.
* Keep stable SDK and TheRock installations separate. Select one directory per
  build and test run; never mix headers, import libraries, runtime or COMGR.
* CMake 3.31.6, Ninja 1.11.1 (Python package 1.11.1.4).
* Windows host toolchain: LLVM-MinGW `20260922`, UCRT x64, SHA256
  `e3ad77d117a4bea19a7a3b333341824d79a5a371004a10e25b8504e7b3047666`.
  This is a portable fallback on this machine, where MSVC is not installed.
  The device compiler remains the selected AMD HIP clang.

## Architecture and platform boundaries

Existing path:
`D3D12 -> OptiScaler -> d4r shim -> NGX CUDA -> Wine nvcuda -> ZLUDA -> HIP`.
The shim records Vulkan copies through vkd3d-proton interop. A patched vkd3d
splits recording into submissions and gates the second part on a semaphore.
The Wine bridge translates Windows/SysV ABIs, loads Linux libraries, chooses
native kernels from KFD topology and performs fd-based Vulkan memory imports.

Planned Windows path:
`D3D12 -> OptiScaler -> d4r shim -> NGX CUDA -> Windows ZLUDA -> HIP gfx1201`.
Platform-independent NGX parameter handling, formats, references, replay format
and kernel identity checks should be retained. A Windows backend must use
Win32 DLL loading, HIP device properties, shared D3D12 allocations and fences.
Wine builtins, KFD, file descriptors, Proton and vkd3d are excluded from runtime.

An NGX Evaluate call receives a **recording** command list, not a queue that can
be submitted halfway through by the shim. Native D3D12 has no equivalent to the
vkd3d split extension. Same-frame synchronization therefore needs an explicit
submission boundary supplied by the harness and then OptiScaler/queue integration.
A HIP wait inserted behind an unsplit D3D12 submission can deadlock. Merely
mapping VRAM does not solve command recording/submission ownership.

## Audit map and decisions

* `README.md`, `docs/{architecture,building,native-kernels,performance}.md`:
  Linux-tested baseline; upstream K translation can produce nonfinite results.
  A successful NGX return alone is not transformer validation.
* `tools/d4r_nvngx_shim.cpp`: Windows API/NGX entry points and C++ worker are
  reusable; Vulkan resource conversion, markers and split-frame functions form
  the platform boundary. Portable ini paths currently assume Wine translation.
* `tools/wine_nvcuda_bridge.c`: loading (`dlopen`, pthread_once), KFD target
  selection, descriptor bookkeeping, PTX manifests, replay/profile and CUDA
  forwarding are interleaved. Preserve identities/instrumentation, replace
  platform services rather than copy the Wine bridge into Windows.
* `patches/zluda/0002`: DLSS arrays/textures/surfaces, PTX instructions, dumps;
  `0003`: bounds and gfx11 MMA; `0004`: native override/prep, FP8, extra bitcode,
  handoffs; `0005`: null texture reads. The gfx11 MMA optimization is explicitly
  architecture-gated. It must not be enabled for gfx12 by changing that gate.
* `patches/vkd3d-proton/0001`: submission split, not a portable D3D12 interface.
* `kernels/k`: `pwin_common.h`, layer/position/wide templates and eleven entries.
  Operands are replicated 16-half rows; accumulator row is `2*i + (lane>>4)`;
  `operand_from_dt`, `wtile`, weight prep and stores depend on that convention.
* `kernels/m`: `swin_common.h`, `swin_block.h`, five standalone entries;
  FP8 weights expanded to FP16, `kslot`, `woff`, `bload`, `k32`, accumulator
  reconstruction and xor shuffles need layout audit. Preserve rounding per k32.
* `kernels/tex`: enc0 tail/dec0 head also use gfx11 WMMA and output shuffles;
  changing only K/M would leave part of M incorrect. Generated PTX is private.
* `kernels/build.sh`, texture build and `scripts/build_zluda_ptx_helpers.sh`:
  Linux tool paths, shell, bitcode cleanup and target assumptions need a Windows
  build path. Keep existing Linux scripts operational.
* `kernels/tools/{pwin_model,swin_model,ptxsim,psnr,kernel_manifest}.py` and
  `dump_runner.cpp`, `tools/replay_dlss_*`: use existing reference semantics
  and capture relocation format; add finite checks and quantitative comparison.
* `scripts/package_release.sh`, install/launch scripts and `packaging/`:
  Linux release bundles Proton components. Windows diagnostics/package must be
  separate and must never include NVIDIA DLLs or extracted NVIDIA PTX/weights.
* Upstream ZLUDA already has Windows delay-loading for HIP 7 and fallback HIP 6.
  Its Rust binding calls versioned `hipGetDevicePropertiesR0600`; a reported
  gfx1201 crash is not evidence of an ABI bug without a reproducer/trace here.

## gfx11 versus gfx12 WMMA

For wave32, gfx11 FP16 A/B are 16 halves per lane with replication across the
two 16-lane groups. gfx12 uses 8 halves per lane without replication. The gfx12
builtin has a `_gfx12` suffix; its FP32 accumulator is still eight floats, but
rows are contiguous within the lane group, rather than gfx11 even/odd rows.
The backend must explicitly convert operands **and** accumulator distribution,
or update all dependent loads/stores and intermediate fragments together.
Start with FP16 / FP32 accumulate. M native FP8 is a later measured optimization.
Compile success is not proof of lane layout or numerical correctness.

## External interop blockers

The installed HIP headers define D3D12Resource/D3D12Heap external memory and
D3D12Fence external semaphore types. Their presence is not proof the Windows
runtime implements them. Validate imports, mapping, GPU waits/signals and
cleanup using an independent round trip before modifying the shim.
Use HIP/DXGI device identity to prevent importing allocations across adapters.
NT HANDLE ownership must be explicit; Win32 import is not fd ownership transfer.
Test repeated create/destroy cycles as upstream noted a mapped-buffer leak on
Linux ROCm. CPU verification copies are allowed in tests, never in the fast path.

## Authoritative references

* [AMD HIP SDK Windows support matrix](https://rocm.docs.amd.com/projects/install-on-windows/en/latest/reference/system-requirements.html)
  lists RX 9070 XT as gfx1201 with runtime and SDK support, release 7.2.0.
* [ZLUDA Windows SDK setup](https://github.com/vosen/ZLUDA/blob/ee2f25a180099fa42f36b2346732e1f2470a03ad/docs/src/hip_sdk.md)
  distinguishes official SDK and TheRock nightlies.
* [ZLUDA build](https://github.com/vosen/ZLUDA/blob/ee2f25a180099fa42f36b2346732e1f2470a03ad/docs/src/building.md),
  [trace instructions](https://github.com/vosen/ZLUDA/blob/ee2f25a180099fa42f36b2346732e1f2470a03ad/docs/src/troubleshooting.md).
* [LLVM AMDGPU target guide](https://llvm.org/docs/AMDGPUUsage.html),
  [Clang AMDGPU builtins](https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/blob/main/clang/include/clang/Basic/BuiltinsAMDGPU.td).
* [AMD RDNA4 matrix cores](https://gpuopen.com/learn/using_matrix_core_amd_rdna4/),
  [RDNA4 WMMA guide](https://gpuopen.com/learn/wmma-guide-amd-rdna-4-gpus-part-1/),
  [RDNA4 ISA](https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/radeon-tech-docs/instruction-set-architectures/rdna4-instruction-set-architecture.pdf).
* [TheRock Windows development](https://github.com/ROCm/TheRock/blob/main/docs/development/windows_support.md).

## Build, test, package

Run from the repository root in PowerShell. The setup installs tools only inside
`.tools`, verifies downloaded SHA256 values, and does not install a driver/SDK.

```powershell
powershell -NoProfile -File scripts/windows/setup-windows-tools.ps1
powershell -NoProfile -File scripts/windows/build-windows-rdna4.ps1
powershell -NoProfile -File scripts/windows/test-windows-rdna4.ps1
```

The build accepts `-HipRoot`, `-ZludaRoot`, `-ToolchainRoot`, `-BuildDirectory`
and `-InstallDirectory`. MSVC users can invoke CMake from a Developer Shell
without the portable MinGW compiler. Equivalent direct build:

```powershell
cmake -S . -B build/windows-rdna4 -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo "-DD4R_HIP_ROOT=C:/Program Files/AMD/ROCm/7.2" "-DD4R_ZLUDA_ROOT=C:/path/to/zluda"
cmake --build build/windows-rdna4
ctest --test-dir build/windows-rdna4 --output-on-failure
cmake --install build/windows-rdna4 --prefix dist/windows-rdna4-diagnostics
```

The one-command diagnostic runner is also installed at
`dist/windows-rdna4-diagnostics/test-windows-rdna4.ps1`. It requires the selected
HIP SDK and ZLUDA directory; the developer setup auto-discovers local defaults.
Success: exit 0, all three tests passed in `summary.json`, `PASS HIP` and
`PASS CUDA` in stdout. Failure: send the **single printed ZIP path**; it contains
stdout/stderr, timeout/exception exit code, DLL paths/versions/hashes, driver/OS
inventory and a minidump for an unhandled exception. Upstream trace is attempted
automatically on CUDA failure when `zluda.exe` is available.

The HIP module compiler uses the selected SDK, fixed `--offload-arch=gfx1201`,
wave32 and no host/device library dependency. Host code uses the installed HIP
header ABI and loads that SDK's `amdhip64_7.dll` by absolute path. CUDA loads the
provided ZLUDA DLL by absolute path, matches the adapter against HIP PCI identity,
tests two context lifecycles, JITs embedded PTX and verifies an integer pattern
and out-of-range sentinels. No CUDA SDK is required.

No NVIDIA DLL is needed for M1/M2. Later NGX tests accept user-supplied absolute
paths; NVIDIA software is never downloaded or added to git by these scripts.

## Known limitations and results

2026-09-29: installed `hipInfo.exe` passed device enumeration in this workspace:
RX 9070 XT, gfx1201, warpSize 32, 15.92 GiB total, 15.77 GiB free.
2026-09-29 hardware results: Windows 11 Pro 10.0.26200, AMD display driver
`32.0.31041.1004`, HIP runtime/driver API `70260201`. HIP struct size 1472 bytes;
physical device PCI `0000:03:00`. Native HIP module: 32 successful iterations,
4099 elements with changing launch counts and seeds, guard verified. CUDA PTX:
32 iterations each in primary/created contexts, same pattern/guards verified,
all context/module/memory teardown calls successful. ZLUDA binary SHA256
`51dd32dc116a6c14c7a4bf5acf620bba0546ca7ec5f8a6e2148dd68f1714b165`.
Logs: local `test-results/m1-m2.zip`; ignored by git.

Local proprietary inputs supplied by the user: `nvngx_dlss.dll` 310.9.1.0,
`_nvngx.dll` 32.0.16.1714. Neither is packaged or tracked.

Audit found an upstream validation blocker: `swin_model.py` imports
`model_enc3`, which is absent from the repository. M reference validation needs
that dependency restored or an independently checked replacement.

Environment-specific issues resolved: sandbox disallows writes to `.git` and
launching the MinGW child compiler, so branch/commit/build require scoped tool
approval in this managed environment. HIP_PATH ends in a backslash; build script
normalizes it before PowerShell 5 argument quoting. Test runner uses .NET Process
to retain reliable exit codes and concurrently drain both diagnostic streams.
No K/M/DLSS/OptiScaler support is claimed by this first milestone.