An apparatus and method are described for executing workloads without host intervention. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: a host processor; and a graphics processor unit (GPU) to execute a hierarchical workload responsive to one or more commands issued by the host processor, the hierarchical workload comprising a parent workload and a plurality of child workloads interconnected in a logical graph structure; and a scheduler kernel implemented by the GPU to schedule execution of the plurality of child workloads without host intervention, the scheduler kernel to evaluate conditions required for execution of the child workloads and determine an order in which to execute the child workloads on the GPU based on the evaluated conditions; the GPU to execute the child workloads in the order determined by the scheduler kernel and to provide results of parent and child workloads to the host processor following execution of all of the child workloads.