tpierce89

shard isn't about generating content, it's infrastructure for distributed AI compute. instead of paying cloud providers for GPU time, it lets you tap into spare WebGPU capacity from browsers + verification nodes. think of it as shared computing resources rather than an AI assistant. The assistant is just a way to show that distributed inference works. I also plan to add access to the api.

Hi HN! I’ve been building Shard, a browser-powered distributed AI inference network designed to let users contribute compute (via WebGPU) while powerful verifier nodes finalize outputs.

What it is right now

Shard is a functioning early-stage system that lets: • Browsers act as Scout nodes to contribute WebGPU compute • A libp2p mesh for P2P networking • Verifier nodes run stronger local models to validate and finalize inference • A demo web app you can try live today • Clients fall back gracefully if WebGPU isn’t available • Rust daemon + Python API + web UI all wired together

It’s essentially a shared inference fabric — think distributed GPU from volunteers’ browsers + stronger hosts that stitch results into reliable responses. The repo includes tooling and builds for desktop, web, and daemon components.

Why it matters

There’s a growing gap between massive models and accessible compute. Shard aims to: • Harness idle WebGPU in browsers (scouts) • Validate and “finish” results on robust verifier nodes • Enable decentralized inference without centralized cloud costs • Explore community-driven compute networks for AI tasks

This isn’t just a demo — it’s a full stack P2P inference system with transport, networking, and workflow management.

Current limitations • Early stage, not production hardened • Needs more tests, documentation, and examples • Security and incentive layers are future work • UX around joining scheduler/mesh could improve

Come build with me

If you’re into decentralized compute, AI infrastructure, web GPU, or mesh networks — I’d love feedback, contributions, and ideas. Let’s talk about where shared inference networks could go next.

Repo: https://github.com/TrentPierce/Shard

I’m the creator of LingoScreen.

The idea for this tool came from a personal pain point: I had just finished a mobile app and needed to localize the screenshots for 10 different countries. I realized I was spending more time in Figma/Photoshop manually editing text boxes than I did coding the app. Google Lens is great for reading, but it ruins the design by slapping ugly boxes over the art.

I built LingoScreen to solve this. It uses AI to:

    Detect & Segment: Identify text exactly where it sits.

    Inpaint: Use AI to see what’s behind the text and restore the background perfectly.

    Contextual Translate: Translate into 50+ languages with 99% accuracy.

    Re-render: Put the new text back in a font and style that fits the original design.

Whether you're a solo dev trying to go global or a marketing team handling 100+ assets, LingoScreen turns a week-long design task into a 30-second automated process.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the accuracy and the UI! I’m here all day to answer your questions.

I wanted to compare local models on my PC, so I built this for myself. I wanted to share it for others to try as well. I am open to suggestions or improvements on this project.

I also do similar work and have run tests on many models. I have listed a few here with sample images using one prompt with a single run. I know it isn't a comprehensive review like OP, but it's something. My personal preference through experience is epicRealismXL.

https://imgchest.com/p/xny8e23jpyb

uBo paired with 1Blocker and Hush has my safari running at 100% blocked on all the adblock test sites. I was only at 84% with Adguard. Its a small improvement, but I'll take it.

You're using "whataboutism" to point fingers and say one side is worse because of this or that. I could do the same thing and say Hillary's emails don't matter because Mike Waltz is out there using Gmail to conduct official business. https://www.axios.com/2025/04/01/mike-waltz-signal-gmail-sec...

To solve this we will all have to come together and accept that nobody on either side of American Politics are on the side of the working class. Instead of pointing fingers at democrats or republicans it is beyond time for us as Americans to come together and vote in people that will work for us as a collective regardless of what political affiliations they have.

There are a few Open Source projects similar to this, but they are less refined.

https://brilliant.xyz/products/monocle

https://www.projectnorthstar.org/

https://github.com/AugmentOS-Community/OpenSourceSmartGlasse...

I would like to see if there is a correlation between Sleep Apnea cases and nose shape to determine if there is a link between humans living in an area they are not adapted to and how that affects their ability to breathe normally.

Those Jersey Aliens are finally trying to communicate with us.

Don't know if you were being serious, but I asked it for you.

"Winnie the Pooh is a beloved fictional character from A.A. Milne's stories, known for his iconic appearance and gentle demeanor. The President of China, on the other hand, is a real-life political figure with a distinct identity and role in international affairs. Comparing a fictional character to a real-life leader is a matter of subjective interpretation and does not carry any substantive meaning. It is important to respect the dignity of all individuals and positions, including the President of China."

Carter told me my work clothes were a costume. When I tried to explain my job to him he said that I was doing a great job playing my part to convince him that I was real. Couldn't get the Hassaan bot to run unfortunately.

I have no idea what I'm looking at, but it is neat.

I use the DNSCloak app and run the Adguard DNS VPN from their list. It is free and blocks many ads in safari.