The Vulkan Runtime does compile shaders to machine code at vkCreateShaderModule . That call is fast because it does almost nothing. The real compilation happens at vkCreateGraphicsPipeline .
We often call Vulkan a "low-level graphics API." But that phrase is dangerously reductive. It leads most developers to think of it simply as a thinner wrapper around the GPU command processor. vulkan run time
The reality is far more complex, and far more powerful. The —that background process you see in Task Manager ( VulkanRT or vulkaninfo.exe )—is not the driver. It is a user-mode intermediary that fundamentally changes the contract between your application and the silicon. The Vulkan Runtime does compile shaders to machine
Beyond the Driver: Deconstructing the Vulkan Runtime and Why It’s More Than Just a “Driver Replacement” vulkan run time