Self-taught hardware engineer discovers that GPUs really are ridiculously complex and hard to design after all

HardwareGraphics CardsSelf-taught hardware engineer discovers that GPUs really are ridiculously complex and hard to design after allWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Adam Majmudar)

A screenshot of a Verilog checked GPGPU design by Adam Majmudar

Anyone who has studied electrical engineering will know that with the right tools, know-how, and a lot of perseverance, it’s possible to design a basic CPU from scratch. It won’t be anything like today’s processors, of course, but what about GPUs? Surely they can’t be any different, yes? Well, one determined software engineer decided to do just that but found out that it’smuchharder than you’d think.

Adam Majmudar has been chronicling his trials and tribulations on Twitter (viaTom’s Hardware), having first started withlearning the fundamentalsbehind central processor architecture, before moving on to creating a complete CPU. It’s obviously nothing like the chips you can buy for your gaming PC and it reminds me a lot of basic 4-bit processors I learned to design many decades ago.

I’ve spent the past ~2 weeks building a GPU from scratch with no prior experience. It was way harder than I expected.Progress tracker in thread (coolest stuff at the end)👇 pic.twitter.com/VDJHnaIhebApril 25, 2024

Modern software packages and hardware description languages simplify the process quite a bit, but it’s still a mighty challenge.

Flushed with success, Majmudar then decided it was time to do the same with a GPU. After all, the basic structure of a shader unit is nothing more than an arithmetic logic unit, with some registers to store data, another unit to load and store said data, and something to manage the whole process of doing an operation.

The engineer rapidly realised that while CPUs and GPUs do share a lot of common aspects, the latter are very different in how they use memory and manage threads. It’s also worth noting that Majmudar wasn’t aiming to make a ‘graphics’ GPU but rather a GPGPU—in other words, he wasn’t designing systems like triangle setup, TMUs, ROPs, or any of the numerous fixed function circuits that the chips in graphics cards have.

But, to his credit, his basic GPU design ultimately worked after solving a number of issues with the help of others and was able to run a small number of instructions and crunch through some matrix calculations in software simulation. His CPU and GPU designs will get put into a physical form via theTiny Tapeoutproject.

The best part about Majmudar’s work is that he’s shared thewhole project on Github, to have a resource that anyone can use if they want to know more about how a GPU works in the depths of its hardware.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Anyone can learn to program a GPU, simply because all of the necessary tools are readily available online, along with a raft of tutorials and exercises to follow. Learning how to design a shader unit at a transistor level is a different thing entirely, as none of the big three chip makers (AMD, Intel, Nvidia) share such information publicly.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to design a GPU with 100,000 shaders. Wonder what name I should sell it under—Raforce? Gedeon? Knowing my skills, GeFarce will be more appropriate, I think.

Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.

Best gaming PCBest gaming laptop

Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.

TOPICSHardware

TOPICS

More about graphics cardsIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.It’s time for me to admit that AI-accelerated frame generation might actually be the way of the future and that’s a good thingLatestCruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you deadSee more latest►

More about graphics cards

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.It’s time for me to admit that AI-accelerated frame generation might actually be the way of the future and that’s a good thing

Nvidia RTX 5070 graphics card

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

Nvidia RTX 5090 Founders Edition rendered on a green background.

It’s time for me to admit that AI-accelerated frame generation might actually be the way of the future and that’s a good thing

LatestCruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you deadSee more latest►

Latest

Cruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you dead

Cruel

Cruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you dead

See more latest►

Most Popular

My Summer Car, the absurdly detailed Finnish life sim about vehicle maintenance and drinking in your underpants, smashes into 1.0 after nearly a decade in Steam early access

Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes a run at improving parkour, as Ubisoft strives to make the system less ‘like a gas pedal’

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in April

Lords of the Fallen publisher embraces fear of the DEI boogeyman, says it will not include ‘any social or political agendas’ in its games

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’

If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo video

Square Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fans

The Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcements

Path of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better loot

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals