GPUs, also known as Graphics Processing Units, are the unsung hero of smartphones, tablets, and embedded displays.
The incredible throughput rates of GPUs allows for computation that standard multi-core Central Processing Units cannot provide.
Companies are also beginning to add application processing to the GPU, known as GPGPU (General-Purpose Graphics Processing Unit). This is not a hardware device as such but is software and hardware working in concert on a GPU.
Since GPUs are not oriented to traditional application programming, various software platforms have evolved. OpenCL is supported by an industry consortium, KhronosGroup.org to promote platform independence.
The competing standard is CUDA which was created and is promoted by NVIDA, a leader in the GPU market. Some say NVIDIA's GeForce256 was the first GPU. (At least it was marketed that way.)
Anyway, I'm interested to hear what GPUs my readers are currently using, and if they have any comments on their usefulness or shortcomings. Let me know.
-Gary
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