Optimizing GPU Programs from Java using Babylon and HAT
10 comments · 97% upvoted · source · other discussions
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davidalayachew
Sm0keySa1m0n
Wonder if we’ll ever be able to use this to write graphics shaders
pjmlp
In theory yes, that is also what is happening in the industry, going back to software rendering techniques, but written with compute languages instead.
Now if Java will ever be a relevant option versus something like Slang, or C++, probably not, given industry focus on programming languages.
perryplatt
Is hat going to preview at the same time as Babylon?
Very dense. I only made it a few paragraphs in, but I intend to sit down with a good meal and drink, and take the few hours needed to digest this in full.
But it will be worth it. Java running on the GPU! And not just a trivial GPU implementation, but hyper-specialized so that you can every bit of performance -- on a scale only achieved by low-level languages (C, C++, Rust) and their wrappers (Python).
pjmlp 6 points · Jan 2026
I just hope it doesn't go down like previous efforts, I remember having the same expectations back when Sumatra was announced.
https://openjdk.org/projects/sumatra/
kev22257 8 points · Jan 2026
You might like this episode of the inside Java podcast where they talk about Sumatra, why it failed and what they learned.
pjmlp 2 points · Jan 2026
Thanks.
davidalayachew 1 points · Jan 2026
JNI strikes again!