Warp

Warp is a term used in several domains to describe a distortion, deformation, or path that deviates from a straight or intended course. In everyday usage, to warp means to bend or twist something away from its original shape.

In weaving, the warp is the set of lengthwise yarns or threads held in tension on a loom, through which the weft is interlaced. The distinction between warp and weft is fundamental to woven fabrics; warp threads run parallel to the loom’s length, while weft threads cross them at right angles.

In physics and popular culture, warp refers to a hypothetical distortion of spacetime used to achieve faster-than-light travel. The concept is most closely associated with the Alcubierre drive, a theoretical model proposing a bubble of spacetime that could move a ship faster than light without locally breaking physics. In entertainment, “warp speed” or “warp factor” denotes rapid propulsion in Star Trek and related media, though it remains speculative and not experimentally realized.

In computing, a warp is a group of threads executed simultaneously on a graphics processing unit (GPU). For example, NVIDIA GPUs use warps of 32 threads that run in lockstep, while AMD GPUs use a similar concept called wavefronts, typically consisting of 64 threads. Warps enable parallel processing but can incur performance penalties if threads diverge on conditional branches.

In audio and video production, warping refers to retiming data—time-stretching or speeding up segments—without proportionally changing pitch, allowing tempo adjustments and synchronization across tracks or media.