  In recent years, the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) has emerged as a low-cost
alternative for high performance computing, enabling impressive speed-ups for a
range of scientific computing applications. Early adopters in astronomy are
already benefiting in adapting their codes to take advantage of the GPU's
massively parallel processing paradigm. I give an introduction to, and overview
of, the use of GPUs in astronomy to date, highlighting the adoption and
application trends from the first ~100 GPU-related publications in astronomy. I
discuss the opportunities and challenges of utilising GPU computing clusters,
such as the new Australian GPU supercomputer, gSTAR, for accelerating the rate
of astronomical discovery.
