Rust-GPU / Rust-GPU/rust-cuda

Array parameters lose alignment metadata and ICE on >16 byte alignments

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Rust
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Description

Summary

There is a bug in rustc_codegen_nvvm/src/abi.rs where arrays passed by value to CUDA kernels discard their underlying alignment metadata, forcing them into PassMode::Direct(ArgAttributes::new()).

This presents two distinct issues:

  1. Lost Alignment Metadata (IllegalAddress traps): If you pass an array of 16-byte aligned elements (like [u128; 4] or [AlignedStruct; 2]), the compiler forces it to PassMode::Direct and generates PTX expecting 8-byte boundaries (e.g., .param .align 8 .b8 param_0[32]). However, the Host driver packs the array at a 16-byte boundary. If the kernel subsequently attempts an aligned/vectorized 128-bit load, it can trap with an IllegalAddress error.
  2. Internal Compiler Error (ICE) for >16-byte alignments: Because arrays bypass the 16-byte PassMode::Cast workaround that is correctly applied to ADTs, passing an array requiring 32-byte or greater alignment (e.g., [AlignedStruct32; 2]) triggers an ICE in the upstream NVPTX ABI handling: internal error: entered unreachable code: Align is given as power of 2 no larger than 16 bytes.

Reproduction Case

Define an aligned struct and pass an array of them to a kernel:

#[derive(Copy, Clone)]
#[repr(C, align(16))]
pub struct AlignedStruct {
    a: u64,
    b: u64,
}

#[cuda_std::kernel]
pub unsafe fn array_kernel2(arr: [AlignedStruct; 2], out: *mut u128) {
    // PTX generates: .param .align 8 .b8 array_kernel2_param_0[32]
    // The missing 16-byte alignment metadata leads to an ABI mismatch
    // between the host and device.
    unsafe {
        *out = arr[0].a as u128 + arr[1].a as u128;
    }
}

If the struct is changed to #[repr(C, align(32))], compiling the kernel causes the compiler to panic with internal error: entered unreachable code: Align is given as power of 2 no larger than 16 bytes.

Issue Details

In crates/rustc_codegen_nvvm/src/abi.rs, the function readjust_fn_abi handles arrays blindly without preserving or checking arg.layout.align.abi:

// Current array handling in abi.rs
if arg.layout.ty.is_array() && !matches!(arg.mode, PassMode::Direct { .. }) {
    arg.mode = PassMode::Direct(ArgAttributes::new());
}

Unlike the ADT fallback branch (attrs.pointee_align = Some(arg.layout.align.abi)), the array block throws away all alignment metadata. It also completely misses the PassMode::Cast workaround needed for types with align >= 16.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start in crates/rustc_codegen_nvvm/src/abi.rs, read readjust_fn_abi and compare the array handling with the ADT fallback branch. Reproduce the issue with the provided aligned array kernels, including the 16-byte and 32-byte alignment cases, then verify that generated PTX preserves the required alignment and that the higher-alignment case no longer triggers the reported ICE.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
rust
Domain
compilers
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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