Khronos presented Vulkan 1.4: Simplifying development GPU-accelerated applications

At the SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 conference in Tokyo, Khronos Group announced the release Vulkan 1.4 is the latest version of the cross-platform API for 3D graphics and computing. Vulkan 1.4 brings long-awaited features that were previously optional into the core of the specification, ensuring stable and consistent performance across platforms.

Among the key innovations:

• Streaming data, allowing applications to simultaneously transfer large amounts of data and render at full performance.
• Support 8K rendering with eight render targets.
• Merging extensions to a level VK_KHR_maintenance6.
• Mandatory support for features such as push descriptors, local reads, and scalar block layouts.

As a result, Vulkan 1.4 makes development GPU-accelerated applications simpler and more predictable. The new API specification was developed taking into account developer feedback and includes key features laid out in the 2022 and 2024 roadmaps.

Representatives from AMD, NVIDIA, Intel, Arm and Samsung confirmed support Vulkan 1.4 on its devices in 2025. According to Khronos, drivers that have passed certification Vulkan 1.4, now available for Linux and Windows, ensuring compatibility with most platforms.

First SDK updates for Vulkan 1.4 from LunarG will appear in January 2025. Vulkan 1.4 opens the door to a new generation of applications, from mobile games to high-performance desktop solutions.