Vulkan
Vulkan is a low-overhead, cross-platform 3D graphics and compute API developed by the Khronos Group. It provides high-efficiency access to modern GPUs on Windows, Linux, Android, and other platforms, enabling developers to create high-performance applications with fine-grained control over GPU resources. Unlike higher-level APIs, Vulkan minimizes driver overhead and allows for explicit management of memory, synchronization, and command buffers.
Developers should learn Vulkan when building performance-critical applications like AAA games, professional visualization tools, or compute-intensive software where maximizing GPU utilization is essential. It's particularly valuable for cross-platform development targeting both desktop and mobile devices, as it offers consistent performance across different hardware vendors. Use cases include real-time rendering engines, VR/AR applications, and scientific simulations that require low-latency GPU access.