For the exact terms, read the license.txt included in the download. While Intel has moved most OpenCL development into the oneAPI ecosystem, the legacy 16.1.1 runtime remains a critical dependency for many production applications. If you need this exact version, your best sources are Intel’s archived downloads (via Intel Premier Support or legacy download center) or trusted redistributors. For most users, installing the Intel oneAPI Base Toolkit (which includes a modern, backward-compatible OpenCL CPU runtime) is the safest and most straightforward path forward.
Introduction OpenCL (Open Computing Language) is a framework for writing programs that execute across heterogeneous platforms, including CPUs, GPUs, and FPGAs. For Intel Core and Intel Xeon processors, the Intel® CPU Runtime for OpenCL™ Applications provides the necessary libraries and drivers to enable OpenCL 2.0, 2.1, and 3.0 features on the CPU itself.
# For Ubuntu 18.04/20.04 (example) wget https://apt.repos.intel.com/opencl/2020/intel-opencl-2020.2.320.deb sudo dpkg -i intel-opencl-2020.2.320.deb Check version with clinfo | grep "Driver Version" . Some 2020.x releases report as “16.1.x” internally. For the exact terms, read the license
sudo apt install ocl-icd-libopencl1 Solution: Fall back to OpenCL 1.2 mode. Set environment variable:
Always verify the driver version using clinfo after installation. With a valid Intel OpenCL runtime (16.1.1 or later), your Intel Core or Xeon processor will be fully capable of accelerating compute workloads via OpenCL. Last updated: 2025 (for historical accuracy regarding version 16.1.1 availability). For latest downloads, always refer to Intel’s official oneAPI portal. For most users, installing the Intel oneAPI Base
# On Linux export OCL_ICD_VENDORS=/etc/OpenCL/vendors/intel.icd # On Windows, ensure Intel ICD is listed in registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Khronos\OpenCL\Vendors Solution: Install the OpenCL ICD loader:
export CL_CONFIG_CPU_OPENCL_VERSION=1.2 The Intel CPU Runtime for OpenCL Applications is provided under the Intel Simplified Software License (similar to BSD-3). It is free for development and distribution as long as it is not modified or reverse-engineered. Redistribution of the runtime DLLs/SOs is permitted only with your application. # For Ubuntu 18
| Processor Family | Minimum Generation | |----------------|--------------------| | Intel Core i3/i5/i7/i9 | 4th Gen (Haswell) | | Intel Xeon E3/E5/E7 | v3 (Haswell-EP) | | Intel Xeon Scalable | 1st Gen (Skylake-SP) | | Intel Xeon D | 1500 series+ |