Google has released Chrome 18 stable. Chrome users running version 17 should receive automatic updates once they start the browser. You can always click the Wrench icon, and then About Google Chrome to force the browser to check for new updates. The new version comes with hardware acceleration and support for low-end platforms.
The developers have added the SwiftShader software rendering technology into Chrome 18 which provides better performance if hardware acceleration is not available on the system. While not nearly as effective performance-wise as a hardware accelerated solution, it provides users with older hardware access to these new technologies.
Google furthermore has added GPU-accelerated Canvas 2D on compatible Windows and Mac systems, which, according to the company, should make web applications like games perform even better than a pure software implementation.
You can check on the chrome://gpu/page whether the browser on their system is making use of hardware or software acceleration.
Download Chrome 18