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Vulkan, the open standard and cross-platform modern 3D graphics API used by cutting-edge games and demanding applications, has been updated today to version 1.3, a major release that introduces new features and several improvements.
More than a year in development, the Vulkan 1.3 API is here to introduce dynamic rendering through the VK_KHR_ extension as a streamlined path to start rendering and to significantly reduce application complexity, as well as additional dynamic state through the VK_EXT_extended_dynamic_state2 extension to further reduce the number of pipeline permutations.
Vulkan 1.3 also introduces the VK_EXT_pipeline_creation_cache_control and VK_EXT_pipeline_creation_feedback extensions to give developers more control over how and when pipelines are compiled, as well as to provide them with information about the compiled pipelines, and makes the buffer device address support mandatory to allow devs to start using pointers across the ecosystem.
Also new is the VK_EXT_subgroup_size_control extension, which adds support for finer control over subgroups (e.g. enables vendors to advertise multiple subgroup sizes), and the VK_KHR_shader_integer_dot_product extension, which improves the acceleration path for higher level machine learning frameworks to execute models through Vulkan.
Furthermore, this release introduces minor improvements to the VK_KHR_copy_commands2, VK_KHR_format_feature_flags2, VK_KHR_synchronization2, VK_KHR_maintenance4, and VK_EXT_texel_buffer_alignment extensions in order to make them more consistent and to add support for upcoming features.
Also today, The Khronos Group announced Vulkan Profiles, a new Vulkan profile mechanism designed to provide a way to precisely communicate functionality requirements and device capabilities between participants in the Vulkan ecosystem. This will be introduced with the Vulkan 1.3 SDK in mid-February 2022.
Last but not least, the Vulkan Working Group announced that they are developing a public roadmap (Vulkan Roadmap 2022) to provide guidance on when and where more advanced Vulkan functionality will be supported for mid-to-high-end hardware later this year.
Image credits: Khronos Group
Last updated 2 years ago
