What to Expect from OpenMP API Version 6.0

The OpenMP ARB has recently published OpenMP Technical Report 12 - Version 6.0 Preview 2 that provides an outlook of what is planned for OpenMP API Version 6.0. Why should you care? Because it's going to be the next big release of one of the most widely-used parallel programming models in HPC and is the oldest industry standard for parallel programming with compiler directives. Heterogeneous machines are now prevalent, as the Top 500 list shows, with more machines of that time in the pipeline from all major hardware suppliers. The European Processor Initiative has said that the OpenMP API is their programming interface Of choice (https://www.nextplatform.com/2020/01/27/european-processor-initiative-readies- prototype/), and the US exascale projects also recognize its importance. Therefore, if you are writing or using code on such heterogeneous machines you need to know about OpenMP and where it is going, since OpenMP has evolved a lot from the OpenMP you vaguely remember as the shared-memory parallel programming model. This BOF has been successful for several years, and, as usual with the OpenMP BOF, we will have a group of OpenMP experts and members of the OpenMP ARB who will give their view and report out on new OpenMP features coming. With ample time for Q&A, this BOF will an informative and entertaining opportunity to interact with the OpenMP ARB representatives and discuss with them. This is the chance to engage with the people who are making the OpenMP specification!