[pjmlp]

While true, it is still easier to write shader code than trying to understand the low level details of SIMD and similar instruction sets, that are only exposed in a few selected languages.

Even JavaScript has easier ways to call into GPU code than exposing vector instructions.

[fulafel]

Yes, one is easier to write and the other is easier to ship, except for WebGL.

The JS/browser angle has another GPU related parallel here. WebAssembly SIMD is is shipping since a couple of years and like WebGL make the browser platform one of the few portable ways to access this parallel-programming functionality now.

(But functionality is limited to approximately same as the 1999 vintage x86 SSE1)