BlazingDB uses gpus to speed up transformations, predicates, running predicates on skip data metadata, gpu accelerated join algorithms. In terms of partitioning we use both to generate the data skipping meta data on the partitions and to reorder data around so that we can minimize the number of comparisons joins will likely require or reduce the number of partitions that need to be operated on. At large scale reorganizing information becomes very expensive the gpus allow us to crunch those numbers very quickly.