---
id: intel-opencl-rt
version: "2026.1.1"
license: Intel End User License Agreement for Developer Tools
license_treatment: unclear
maintenance: active
---

# intel-opencl-rt — Intel® oneAPI OpenCL* Runtime

License: unclear · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 201.7K/mo

## What it is and what it does

This package is a runtime-only distribution of Intel's OpenCL libraries, designed for deployment scenarios where you need to run OpenCL-compiled executables on machines that do not have the full Intel oneAPI development toolkit installed. It is part of a three-package stack: this package provides the compiler-specific shared libraries, while separate common libraries and common licensing packages provide the broader runtime foundation.

The package is actively maintained (latest release 2026-07-29) and carries two runtime dependencies: tbb and intel-cmplr-lic-rt. Installation is platform-specific, with wheels provided for Windows x86_64 and Linux x86_64 (glibc 2.28+). It is intended for developers, system administrators, and researchers deploying OpenCL workloads in production or research environments.

Use it for:

- Deploy OpenCL executables compiled with Intel oneAPI to production servers without installing the full development toolkit
- Distribute containerized OpenCL applications with minimal runtime footprint by including only this package and its dependencies
- Set up OpenCL runtime environments on Linux HPC clusters or Windows compute nodes for scientific computing
- Enable end-user systems to run Intel-compiled OpenCL binaries without requiring development tools

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides Intel OpenCL runtime libraries needed to run OpenCL executables on systems without the full Intel oneAPI development toolkit installed.

Yes, if you are deploying Intel oneAPI OpenCL executables to systems without the full toolkit and your target platform is Windows x86_64 or Linux x86_64 (glibc 2.28+). The package is actively maintained and has no known vulnerabilities. Verify that the proprietary Intel license terms are acceptable for your use case, and ensure the common libraries and licensing packages are also installed.

## Install

pip install intel-opencl-rt
uv add intel-opencl-rt
poetry add intel-opencl-rt

## Installing intel-opencl-rt

Before you install: Medium install friction due to platform-specific wheels (manylinux_2_28_x86_64, win_amd64) and two runtime dependencies (tbb, intel-cmplr-lic-rt). Package is actively maintained with recent releases.

License in practice: Licensed under Intel End User License Agreement for Developer Tools with unclear treatment. Users should review the proprietary license terms before deployment, particularly in commercial or redistributed contexts.

Quickstart:

pip install intel-opencl-rt
# Then use OpenCL executables compiled with Intel oneAPI on the target system

Requires the common libraries and common licensing packages in addition to this package; platform-specific wheels limit to Windows x86_64 or Linux x86_64 (glibc 2.28+).

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works on non-x86_64 architectures or older glibc versions
- Exact Python version compatibility (requires_python is unspecified)
- Whether tbb and intel-cmplr-lic-rt are automatically installed or must be manually provided

## Package facts

- License: Intel End User License Agreement for Developer Tools (unclear)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 201.7K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

opencl runtime deployment, intel opencl libraries, opencl executable runtime, intel oneapi runtime, opencl host deployment, compiler runtime libraries, opencl, runtime-only, intel-oneapi

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