The cuda compiler itself (nvcc) is far behind the features of more recent compilers. For instance, c++11 is supported, but not the full standard. It will take a while before 14/17 are supported.
how does that stop it from using the latest version of clang++ or g++? they are backwards compatible with older C++ versions. The context is linux and a makefile failing with a message that your g++ or clang++ must be a version older than something