959: TypeScript on the GPU with TypeGPU creator Iwo Plaza

Scott and CJ sit down live at JSNation NYC with Iwo Plaza, creator of TypeGPU, to dig into how WebGPU is unlocking a new wave of graphics and compute power on the web. They chat about shader authoring in TypeScript, the future of GPU-powered AI in the browser, and what it takes to build a killer developer-friendly graphics library.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!

00:32 What is TypeGPU? High-level overview and why it exists

01:20 WebGPU vs WebGL – the new era of GPU access on the web

01:47 Why shader languages are hard + making them accessible

02:24 Iwo’s background in C++, OpenGL, and discovering JS

03:06 Sharing graphics work on the web vs native platforms

03:29 WebGPU frustrations that inspired TypeGPU

04:17 Making GPU–CPU data exchange easier with Zod-like schemas

05:01 Writing shaders in JavaScript + the unified type system

05:38 How the “use_gpu” directive works under the hood

06:05 Building a compiler that turns TypeScript into shader code

07:00 Type inference, primitives, structs, and TypeScript magic

08:21 Leveraging existing tooling via Unplugin + bundler integration

09:15 How TypeGPU extracts ASTs and generates TinyEST metadata

10:10 Runtime shader generation vs build-time macros

11:07 How the AST is traversed + maintaining transparency in output

11:43 Example projects like Jelly Shader and community reception

12:05 Brought to you by Sentry.io

12:30 Does TypeGPU replace 3JS? How it fits the existing ecosystem

13:20 Low-level control vs high-level abstractions

14:04 Upcoming Three.js integration – plugging TypeGPU into materials compute shaders

15:34 Making GPU development more approachable

16:26 Docs, examples, and the philosophy behind TypeGPU documentation

17:03 Building features by building examples first

18:13 Using examples as a test suite + how docs shape API design

19:00 Docs as a forcing function for intuitive APIs

20:21 GPU for AI – browser inference and future abstractions

21:11 How AI examples inform new libraries (noise, inference, etc.)

21:57 Keeping the core package small and flexible

22:44 Building “TypeGPU AI”-style extensions without bloating the core

23:07 The cost of AI examples and building everything from scratch

23:41 Standard library design and future of the ecosystem

24:04 Closing thoughts from Iwo – OSS, GPU renaissance, and encouragement

24:34 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs

Sick Picks

Iwo: Perogies

Shameless Plugs

Iwo: Syntax Podcast

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