What changed
AMD has introduced the ROCm Handbooks, a new series of structured documentation resources for developers working with its ROCm platform. These handbooks are designed to provide a unified, book-style reference for ROCm and HIP, combining documentation from multiple components into a single learning path. The handbooks are available in both PDF and HTML formats and are released alongside new versions of the ROCm platform.
What this means in practice
The handbooks are aimed at developers who are new to ROCm and HIP, as well as experienced developers looking to optimize their code for AMD GPUs. The first handbook, the AMD ROCm Programming Guide, teaches HIP from the basics and is suitable for developers comfortable with C++. It includes tutorials on core concepts, memory management, and performance optimization. The second handbook, the AMD ROC, Optimization Guide, focuses on advanced optimization techniques and is intended for developers with existing HIP code who want to improve its performance on AMD GPUs. Both handbooks are structured to complement each other, with the Programming Guide pointing to the Optimization Guide for profiling-driven optimization patterns and multi-GPU programming.
Limitations and availability
The handbooks are available in HTML and PDF formats and are released alongside new versions of the ROCm platform. The Programming Guide has been available since November 2025, while the Optimization Guide was published in October 2026. The handbooks are organized by topic and follow a learning sequence, with each volume covering specific aspects of HIP programming and optimization. The content is designed to match the software version installed, ensuring that developers have access to the most up-to-date information.
