GPU stands for graphics processing unit, but these tiny chips can be used for much more than just graphics. Google is using GPUs to model the human brain, and Salesforce leans on them as a way of analyzing data streaming across Twitter feeds. They’re particularly suited to what’s known as parallel processing, where thousands of tasks are executed at the same time.
The trick is that you have to build new software that’s specifically designed to tap into these chips. But a computer science Ph.D. candidate at Indiana University wants to help with that. He just released a new programming language called Harlan dedicated to building applications that run GPUs. “GPU programming still requires the programmer to manage a lot of low-level details that often distract them from the core of what they’re trying to do,” says Eric Holk. “We wanted a system that could manage these details for the programmer, letting them be more productive and still getting good performance from the GPU.”
via Wired
