WebGPU

ELI5 — The Vibe Check

WebGPU is the browser's modern GPU API — a replacement for WebGL that finally lets websites run compute workloads (ML, simulations, shaders) on the GPU at near-native speed. Big deal for in-browser AI: models that used to need a Python server now run locally.

Real Talk

WebGPU is a low-level graphics and compute API exposed to web applications, designed as a successor to WebGL. It offers modern GPU features (compute shaders, storage buffers, explicit synchronization) and better performance. Enables ML inference (Transformers.js, ONNX Runtime Web) and advanced graphics (Three.js WebGPU renderer). Widely available in Chrome and Safari as of 2025; Firefox support landing.

When You'll Hear This

"We ship Llama 3 in the browser via WebGPU." / "WebGPU compute shaders let us run SDXL client-side."