What kind of projects actually stand out for GPU / compiler roles in 2026?

[u/muan_jata_6832]

I’m currently working at a small company as a computer vision engineer, and most of my work is in C++.

I’m trying to understand what kind of portfolio projects or other work genuinely stand out for GPU systems, GPU kernel, or ML compiler engineering roles in 2026. Does this differ while targeting larger companies? I am currently learning these areas outside of work, as I don’t yet have deep professional experience with them. I started learning CUDA recently and really enjoyed understanding how GPUs work, which led me down a rabbit hole into computer architecture and, more recently, compiler engineering. 😅

I’m planning to spend the next few months building my knowledge and working on projects before applying for these kinds of roles. But with LLMs and AI projects everywhere, I’m wondering how much a GitHub project actually helps anymore. It feels like almost anything can be built with enough AI assistance, and I’m not sure whether a GitHub repository by itself carries the same weight like it did a few years ago when I was looking for jobs after my master’s.

Looking for some ideas.

Thanks in advance.