GoGPU

Pure Go GPU Computing Ecosystem
GPU power, Go simplicity. Zero CGO.

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Why GoGPU?

Inspired by this discussion on r/golang, we're building the GPU computing ecosystem that Go deserves — from low-level graphics to high-level GUI, all with zero CGO.

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Ecosystem

Library	Purpose	LOC	Stars	Issues
gg	2D graphics, Canvas API, GPU compute	~104K
wgpu	Pure Go WebGPU (Vulkan/Metal/GLES)	~71K
gogpu	Graphics framework, windowing	~26K
naga	WGSL → SPIR-V/MSL/GLSL compiler	~23K
ui	GUI toolkit (planned)	—

Total: ~224K LOC Pure Go | Zero CGO | Cross-platform

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Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              Your Application                               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│   gogpu/ui (GUI)   │   born-ml/born   │   Your Framework    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              gogpu/gg (2D Graphics)                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              gogpu/gogpu (Graphics Framework)               │
│         GPU abstraction, windowing, input, math             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│   go-webgpu/webgpu (FFI)    →    gogpu/wgpu (Pure Go)       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              Vulkan  │  Metal  │  DX12  │  OpenGL           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Key Features

Feature	Description
Zero CGO	No C compiler required, simple go build
WebGPU API	Modern, portable GPU abstraction
Layered Design	Use only what you need
Pure Go Goal	Gradually replacing FFI with native Go

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Quick Start

package main

import "github.com/gogpu/gogpu"

func main() {
    app := gogpu.NewApp(gogpu.Config{
        Title:  "Hello GoGPU",
        Width:  800,
        Height: 600,
    })

    app.OnDraw(func(ctx *gogpu.Context) {
        ctx.Clear(gogpu.Black)
        ctx.DrawTriangle(/* ... */)
    })

    app.Run()
}

Note: API is in active development and will change.

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Related Projects

Project	Organization	Purpose	Stars	Issues
webgpu	go-webgpu	Zero-CGO WebGPU bindings (wgpu-native FFI)
goffi	go-webgpu	Pure Go FFI library (88-114ns overhead)
born	born-ml	Pure Go ML framework (97%+ MNIST)

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Roadmap

Foundation ✅

• Zero-CGO WebGPU bindings (go-webgpu/webgpu)
• Pure Go FFI (go-webgpu/goffi)

Phase 1 — Graphics ✅

• Graphics framework (gogpu/gogpu) — Triangle, Textures, Dual Backend
• Shader compiler (gogpu/naga) — WGSL → SPIR-V/MSL + compute shaders (~21K LOC)

Phase 2 — Pure Go WebGPU ✅

• WebGPU types package (gogpu/wgpu/types)
• Core validation & state (gogpu/wgpu/core)
• HAL abstraction layer (gogpu/wgpu/hal)
• OpenGL ES backend (gogpu/wgpu/hal/gles) — ~7.5K LOC, Windows + Linux
• Vulkan backend (gogpu/wgpu/hal/vulkan) — ~27K LOC, cross-platform!
• Software backend (gogpu/wgpu/hal/software) — ~10K LOC, full rasterizer!
• Metal backend (gogpu/wgpu/hal/metal) — ~2.5K LOC, macOS/iOS!

Phase 3 — 2D Graphics ✅

• 2D graphics library (gogpu/gg) — v0.15.0 with GPU compute shaders!
• Text rendering (v0.2.0) — FontSource/Face, MultiFace fallback
• Images, Clipping, Compositing (v0.3.0) — DrawImage, Clip API, Porter-Duff
• Layer API, Color Pipeline (v0.4.0) — PushLayer/PopLayer, HSL blend modes
• SIMD Optimization (v0.5.0) — Fast div255, sRGB LUTs, batch blending (260x faster)
• Parallel Rendering (v0.6.0) — TileGrid, WorkerPool, lock-free DirtyRegion!
• Scene Graph (v0.7.0) — Retained mode, 13 shapes, filters, layer cache!
• Backend Abstraction (v0.8.0) — RenderBackend interface, registry!
• GPU Backend (v0.9.0) — Sparse Strips, WGSL shaders, 29 blend modes on GPU!
• GPU Text Pipeline (v0.10.0) — Shaper, Layout, Bidi, 25+ scripts!
• GPU Text Rendering (v0.11.0) — MSDF atlas, emoji, subpixel positioning!
• Rust-First API (v0.12.0) — Brush, Gradients, Stroke, Dash!
• Go 1.25+ (v0.13.0) — Iterators, Generic Cache, Context!
• Advanced Features (v0.14.0) — Alpha Masks, PathBuilder, io.Closer!
• GPU Compute Shaders (v0.15.0) — vello-style flatten/coarse/fine pipeline!

Phase 3.5 — Platform Expansion ✅

• Linux Wayland (v0.4.0) — Pure Go implementation, 5,700 LOC!
• Linux X11 (v0.6.0) — Pure Go wire protocol, ~5K LOC!
• macOS Cocoa (v0.5.0) — Pure Go via goffi, ~950 LOC!
• Metal backend (wgpu v0.7.0) — WGSL→MSL compilation, render pipeline!
• GLSL shader output (naga v0.6.0) — WGSL → OpenGL 3.3+/ES 3.0+!

Phase 4 — GUI

• Widget toolkit (gogpu/ui)
• Layouts, styling, themes

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Contributing

We welcome contributions! See individual repository CONTRIBUTING.md files.

Areas where we need help:

• Pure Go GPU backends (DX12)
• WebGPU examples and tutorials
• Documentation
• GUI widget toolkit (gogpu/ui)

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License

All projects are licensed under the MIT License.

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_{Building the GPU computing ecosystem Go deserves}
github.com/gogpu