In Chrome 113, Google adds support for WebGPU for faster rendering and AI processing.

The next version of the Internet browser Chrome, version 113, will be the very first Internet browser to support WebGPU. Initially, only Windows, macOS and ChromeOS will support the technology. Other platforms will follow later.

WebGPU is an evolution of WebGL, a 2011 technology standard supported by a consortium with Google and Apple as key members. WebGL already uses the power of the GPU to display web pages more efficiently and quickly without the need for plug-ins.

Since the standard is now twelve years old, it doesn’t support the latest technologies that Direct3D (Windows) and Metal (macOS) have in their APIs. In a blog post, Google points out that WebGPU reduces the JavaScript workload for the same graphical result, among other things. This is made possible by more flexibility in programming GPU tasks.

Almost every PC today has a GPU on board. This is often a component built into the processor. Compared to a standalone GPU, these are often less powerful variants, but these models can also be very useful for offloading the CPU via the WebGPU.

WebGPU as successor to WebGL

A long list of support for GPGPU commands. Don’t just think about rendering, think about tasks like running machine learning models. When WebGL first saw the light of day, ML was out of the question in browsers. This will allow future web applications that use AI capabilities to be much faster. According to Google, ML models can run up to three times faster with WebGPU than with WebGL.

Chrome starts off by being the first to support WebGPU. Other Internet browsers based on Chromium, such as Edge, Opera or Brave will follow soon. According to Google, the technology will later be rolled out to Firefox and Safari. At the same time, the search giant offers additional features to make it easier for developers to use the GPU capabilities of all PCs.

Google made another important decision last week by setting an end date for Chrome Apps support. As early as 2020, Google stopped accepting new public applications in the Chrome Web Store. Private applications from companies continued to be supported. This will now remain so until at least January 2025. The final end of support period for the applications will be pushed back shortly after feedback from business users.