1. [Publications](/publications) 2. How GPUs Work # How GPUs Work ![](/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/pubs/2007-02_How-GPUs-Work/HowThingsWork-flowchart.jpg?itok=CqiEMaq4) GPUs have moved away from the traditional fixed-function 3D graphics pipeline toward a flexible general-purpose computational engine. Today, GPUs can implement many parallel algorithms directly using graphics hardware. Well-suited algorithms that leverage all the underlying computational horsepower often achieve tremendous speedups. Truly, the GPU is the first widely deployed commodity desktop parallel computer ## Authors [David Luebke](/person/david-luebke) Greg Humphreys (University of Virginia) ## Publication Date Thursday, February 1, 2007 ## Published in [IEEE Computer](http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4085637&isnumber=4085604) ## Research Area [Computer Graphics](/research-area/computer-graphics) ## Uploaded Files [04085637.pdf](https://research.nvidia.com/sites/default/files/pubs/2007-02_How-GPUs-Work/04085637.pdf "Open file in new window")4 MB ## Copyright This material is posted here with permission of the IEEE. Internal or personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution must be obtained from the IEEE by writing to .