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WebGPU: GPUAdapterInfo isFallbackAdapter attribute

Category
Miscellaneous
Type
New or changed feature
Status
In developer trial (Behind a flag) (Chrome 136)
Intent stage
None

Summary

Functionality added to the WebGPU spec after its first shipment in a browser. The GPUAdapterInfo isFallbackAdapter boolean attribute indicates if an adapter has significant performance limitations in return for wider compatibility, more predictable behavior, and/or improved privacy. Note that a fallback adapter may not be present on all systems.

Motivation

The GPUAdapter isFallbackAdapter boolean attribute currently shipped in Chrome browser only does not allow libraries that take user-provided GPUDevice objects from accessing this information through the adapterInfo attribute on GPUDevice. Adding a GPUAdapterInfo isFallbackAdapter boolean attribute solves this problem. Note that GPUAdapter isFallbackAdapter usage is being measured to determine if it can be deprecated and removed, as Chrome has not yet shipped support for fallback adapters. https://github.com/gpuweb/gpuweb/pull/5099

Standards & signals

View on chromestatus.com