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Windows DirectML

Universal GPU support for Windows with DirectML.

Overview

DirectML provides universal GPU support on Windows for any DirectX 12 compatible GPU.

Execution Provider: DirectMLExecutionProvider

Supported GPUs

All DirectX 12 Compatible GPUs

  • NVIDIA GeForce/Quadro
  • AMD Radeon
  • Intel Iris/Arc
  • Qualcomm Adreno (ARM)

Requirements

  • Windows 10 (1903+) or Windows 11
  • DirectX 12 compatible GPU

Installation

1. Verify DirectX 12

# Check DirectX version
dxdiag

2. Install GPUX

# DirectML runtime included in Windows 10/11
uv add onnxruntime-directml
uv add gpux

Configuration

runtime:
  gpu:
    backend: directml
    memory: 4GB
  batch_size: 8

Performance

Typical Performance

GPU BERT FPS ResNet-50 FPS
RTX 3060 500 700
RX 6700 XT 450 650
Arc A750 400 550

DirectML is typically 60-80% of native performance (CUDA/ROCm).

Best Practices

Universal Compatibility

DirectML works with any DX12 GPU - great fallback option

When to Use DirectML

  • Non-NVIDIA Windows systems
  • Mixed GPU environments
  • When driver setup is difficult

Performance

For best performance: - NVIDIA: Use CUDA instead - AMD: Use ROCm on Linux

Troubleshooting

DirectML Not Available

  1. Update Windows to latest version
  2. Update GPU drivers
  3. Verify DX12 support: dxdiag

See Also