--- /dev/null
+diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
+index 1f30a5b3..7b62e003 100644
+--- a/CMakeLists.txt
++++ b/CMakeLists.txt
+@@ -104,8 +104,6 @@ mark_as_advanced(
+ CUDA_HOST_COMPILER
+ CUDA_USE_STATIC_CUDA_RUNTIME
+ CUDA_rt_LIBRARY
+- SPDLOG_BUILD_EXAMPLES
+- SPDLOG_BUILD_TESTING
+ ADDR2LINE_PROGRAM
+ Backtrace_LIBRARY
+ AF_WITH_STATIC_MKL
+@@ -159,9 +157,7 @@ if(NOT LAPACK_FOUND)
+ endif()
+ endif()
+
+-set(SPDLOG_BUILD_TESTING OFF CACHE INTERNAL "Disable testing in spdlog")
+-add_subdirectory(extern/spdlog EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
+-add_subdirectory(extern/glad)
++find_package(spdlog CONFIG REQUIRED)
+ add_subdirectory(src/backend/common)
+ add_subdirectory(src/api/c)
+ add_subdirectory(src/api/cpp)
+@@ -269,10 +265,6 @@ install(DIRECTORY examples/ #NOTE The slash at the end is important
+ DESTINATION ${AF_INSTALL_EXAMPLE_DIR}
+ COMPONENT examples)
+
+-install(DIRECTORY assets/examples/ #NOTE The slash at the end is important
+- DESTINATION ${AF_INSTALL_EXAMPLE_DIR}
+- COMPONENT examples)
+-
+ install(DIRECTORY "${ArrayFire_SOURCE_DIR}/LICENSES/"
+ DESTINATION LICENSES
+ COMPONENT licenses)
+diff --git a/CMakeModules/AFInstallDirs.cmake b/CMakeModules/AFInstallDirs.cmake
+index 2c7b96ea..b5006ee0 100644
+--- a/CMakeModules/AFInstallDirs.cmake
++++ b/CMakeModules/AFInstallDirs.cmake
+@@ -7,8 +7,12 @@ include(GNUInstallDirs)
+ # NOTE: These paths are all relative to the project installation prefix.
+
+ # Executables
+-if(NOT DEFINED AF_INSTALL_BIN_DIR)
+- set(AF_INSTALL_BIN_DIR "lib" CACHE PATH "Installation path for executables")
++if(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE MATCHES Debug)
++ set(AF_INSTALL_BIN_DIR "${AF_BIN_DIR}/debug/bin")
++ message(STATUS " Setting install to debug path ${AF_INSTALL_BIN_DIR}")
++else()
++ set(AF_INSTALL_BIN_DIR "${AF_BIN_DIR}/bin")
++ message(STATUS " Setting install to release path ${AF_INSTALL_BIN_DIR}")
+ endif()
+
+ # Libraries
+diff --git a/CMakeModules/AFconfigure_forge_submodule.cmake b/CMakeModules/AFconfigure_forge_submodule.cmake
+index d16849f0..36ab01b6 100644
+--- a/CMakeModules/AFconfigure_forge_submodule.cmake
++++ b/CMakeModules/AFconfigure_forge_submodule.cmake
+@@ -39,13 +39,13 @@ if(AF_BUILD_FORGE)
+ COMPONENT common_backend_dependencies)
+ set_property(TARGET forge APPEND_STRING PROPERTY COMPILE_FLAGS " -w")
+ else(AF_BUILD_FORGE)
+- set(FG_VERSION "1.0.0")
++ set(FG_VERSION "1.0.5")
+ set(FG_VERSION_MAJOR 1)
+ set(FG_VERSION_MINOR 0)
+- set(FG_VERSION_PATCH 0)
++ set(FG_VERSION_PATCH 5)
+ set(FG_API_VERSION_CURRENT 10)
+ configure_file(
+- ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/extern/forge/CMakeModules/version.h.in
+- ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/extern/forge/include/fg/version.h
++ ${AF_FORGE_PATH}/CMakeModules/version.h.in
++ ${AF_FORGE_PATH}/include/fg/version.h
+ )
+ endif(AF_BUILD_FORGE)
+diff --git a/src/api/unified/CMakeLists.txt b/src/api/unified/CMakeLists.txt
+index 967eaa63..ff04392c 100644
+--- a/src/api/unified/CMakeLists.txt
++++ b/src/api/unified/CMakeLists.txt
+@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ target_include_directories(af
+ target_link_libraries(af
+ PRIVATE
+ cpp_api_interface
+- spdlog
++ spdlog::spdlog spdlog::spdlog_header_only
+ Threads::Threads
+ Boost::boost
+ ${CMAKE_DL_LIBS}
+diff --git a/src/backend/common/CMakeLists.txt b/src/backend/common/CMakeLists.txt
+index c9fe0889..f97bf0e8 100644
+--- a/src/backend/common/CMakeLists.txt
++++ b/src/backend/common/CMakeLists.txt
+@@ -77,12 +77,15 @@ else()
+ target_sources(afcommon_interface INTERFACE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/module_loading_unix.cpp)
+ endif()
+
++find_package(glad CONFIG REQUIRED)
++
+ target_link_libraries(afcommon_interface
+ INTERFACE
+- spdlog
++ spdlog::spdlog
++ spdlog::spdlog_header_only
+ Boost::boost
+- af_glad_interface
+ ${CMAKE_DL_LIBS}
++ glad::glad
+ )
+
+ if(AF_BUILD_FORGE)
+@@ -93,10 +96,9 @@ target_include_directories(afcommon_interface
+ INTERFACE
+ ${ArrayFire_SOURCE_DIR}/src/backend
+ ${ArrayFire_BINARY_DIR}
++ ${AF_FORGE_PATH}/include # passed via vcpkg
+ SYSTEM INTERFACE
+ $<$<PLATFORM_ID:Darwin>:${OPENGL_INCLUDE_DIR}>
+- ${ArrayFire_SOURCE_DIR}/extern/forge/include
+- ${ArrayFire_BINARY_DIR}/extern/forge/include
+ )
+
+ if(APPLE AND NOT USE_MKL)
+diff --git a/src/backend/cpu/CMakeLists.txt b/src/backend/cpu/CMakeLists.txt
+index 170bb0f3..c6e20177 100644
+--- a/src/backend/cpu/CMakeLists.txt
++++ b/src/backend/cpu/CMakeLists.txt
+@@ -266,9 +266,10 @@ endif(AF_WITH_CPUID)
+
+ target_sources(afcpu
+ PRIVATE
+- ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/threads/async_queue.hpp
+- ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/threads/event.hpp
++ ${AF_CPU_THREAD_PATH}/include/threads/async_queue.hpp
++ ${AF_CPU_THREAD_PATH}/include/threads/event.hpp
+ )
++target_include_directories(afcpu PRIVATE ${AF_CPU_THREAD_PATH}/include)
+
+ arrayfire_set_default_cxx_flags(afcpu)
+
+diff --git a/src/backend/cuda/CMakeLists.txt b/src/backend/cuda/CMakeLists.txt
+index 7e3e4089..a3a53087 100644
+--- a/src/backend/cuda/CMakeLists.txt
++++ b/src/backend/cuda/CMakeLists.txt
+@@ -110,7 +110,11 @@ cuda_include_directories(
+ ${COMMON_INTERFACE_DIRS}
+ )
+ if(CUDA_VERSION_MAJOR VERSION_LESS 11)
+- cuda_include_directories(${ArrayFire_SOURCE_DIR}/extern/cub)
++ find_path(CUB_INCLUDE_DIRS "cub/agent/agent_histogram.cuh")
++ if (${CUB_INCLUDE_DIRS} EQUAL "CUB_INCLUDE_DIRS-NOTFOUND")
++ set(CUB_INCLUDE_DIRS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cub)
++ endif()
++ cuda_include_directories(${CUB_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+ endif()
+
+ file(GLOB jit_src "kernel/jit.cuh")
+@@ -240,9 +244,14 @@ if(AF_WITH_NONFREE)
+ set(cxx_definitions -DAF_WITH_NONFREE_SIFT)
+ endif()
+
++# New API of cuSparse was introduced in 10.1.168 for Linux and the older
++# 10.1.105 fix version doesn't it. Unfortunately, the new API was introduced in
++# in a fix release of CUDA - unconventionally. As CMake's FindCUDA module
++# doesn't provide patch/fix version number, we use 10.2 as the minimum
++# CUDA version to enable this new cuSparse API.
+ if(CUDA_VERSION_MAJOR VERSION_GREATER 10 OR
+ (UNIX AND
+- CUDA_VERSION_MAJOR VERSION_EQUAL 10 AND CUDA_VERSION_MINOR VERSION_GREATER 0))
++ CUDA_VERSION_MAJOR VERSION_EQUAL 10 AND CUDA_VERSION_MINOR VERSION_GREATER 1))
+ list(APPEND cxx_definitions -DAF_USE_NEW_CUSPARSE_API)
+ endif()
+
+@@ -301,7 +310,7 @@ set_target_properties(af_cuda_static_cuda_library
+
+ if(CUDA_VERSION_MAJOR VERSION_GREATER 10 OR
+ (UNIX AND
+- CUDA_VERSION_MAJOR VERSION_EQUAL 10 AND CUDA_VERSION_MINOR VERSION_GREATER 0))
++ CUDA_VERSION_MAJOR VERSION_EQUAL 10 AND CUDA_VERSION_MINOR VERSION_GREATER 1))
+ target_compile_definitions(af_cuda_static_cuda_library PRIVATE AF_USE_NEW_CUSPARSE_API)
+ endif()
+
+diff --git a/src/backend/opencl/kernel/scan_by_key/CMakeLists.txt b/src/backend/opencl/kernel/scan_by_key/CMakeLists.txt
+index 9a796c9e..d9864b00 100644
+--- a/src/backend/opencl/kernel/scan_by_key/CMakeLists.txt
++++ b/src/backend/opencl/kernel/scan_by_key/CMakeLists.txt
+@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ foreach(SBK_BINARY_OP ${SBK_BINARY_OPS})
+ add_dependencies(opencl_scan_by_key_${SBK_BINARY_OP}
+ ${cl_kernel_targets} OpenCL::cl2hpp Boost::boost)
+
++ find_package(glad CONFIG REQUIRED)
+ target_include_directories(opencl_scan_by_key_${SBK_BINARY_OP}
+ PRIVATE
+ .
+@@ -39,9 +40,7 @@ foreach(SBK_BINARY_OP ${SBK_BINARY_OPS})
+ $<TARGET_PROPERTY:OpenCL::OpenCL,INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES>
+ $<TARGET_PROPERTY:OpenCL::cl2hpp,INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES>
+ $<TARGET_PROPERTY:Boost::boost,INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES>
+- $<TARGET_PROPERTY:af_glad_interface,INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES>
+- ${ArrayFire_SOURCE_DIR}/extern/forge/include
+- ${ArrayFire_BINARY_DIR}/extern/forge/include
++ $<TARGET_PROPERTY:glad::glad,INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES>
+ )
+
+ set_target_properties(opencl_scan_by_key_${SBK_BINARY_OP}
+diff --git a/src/backend/opencl/kernel/sort_by_key/CMakeLists.txt b/src/backend/opencl/kernel/sort_by_key/CMakeLists.txt
+index d618ff2f..9f517398 100644
+--- a/src/backend/opencl/kernel/sort_by_key/CMakeLists.txt
++++ b/src/backend/opencl/kernel/sort_by_key/CMakeLists.txt
+@@ -32,14 +32,13 @@ foreach(SBK_TYPE ${SBK_TYPES})
+ ../../../include
+ ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
+
++ find_package(glad CONFIG REQUIRED)
+ target_include_directories(opencl_sort_by_key_${SBK_TYPE}
+ SYSTEM PRIVATE
+ $<TARGET_PROPERTY:OpenCL::OpenCL,INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES>
+ $<TARGET_PROPERTY:OpenCL::cl2hpp,INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES>
+ $<TARGET_PROPERTY:Boost::boost,INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES>
+- $<TARGET_PROPERTY:af_glad_interface,INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES>
+- ${ArrayFire_SOURCE_DIR}/extern/forge/include
+- ${ArrayFire_BINARY_DIR}/extern/forge/include
++ $<TARGET_PROPERTY:glad::glad,INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES>
+ )
+
+ set_target_properties(opencl_sort_by_key_${SBK_TYPE}