422
edits
Changes
GPU
,→GPGPU
The traditional job of a GPU is to take the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-dimensional_space x,y,z coordinates] of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_strip triangles], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_projection map] these triangles to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_computer_graphics#screen_space screen space] through a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrix_multiplication matrix multiplication]. As video game graphics grew more sophisticated, the number of triangles per scene grew larger. GPUs similarly grew in size to massively parallel behemoths capable of performing billions of transformations hundreds of times per second.
These lists of triangles were specified in Graphics APIs like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenGL OpenGL] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirectX DirectX]. But video game programmers demanded more flexibility from their hardware: such as lighting, transparency, and reflections. This flexibility was granted with specialized programming languages, called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shader#Vertex_shaders vertex shaders] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shader#Pixel_shaders pixel shaders]. GPUs evolved to accelerate general purpose compute from pixel shader and vertex shader programmers, and even merged the functionality into "universal" shaders (which can perform either vertex shading or pixel shading).
Today, these universal shaders are flexible enough to provide General Purpose compute for GPUs (GPGPU). GPGPU languages, such as OpenCL or CUDA, is how the programmer can access this capability.
