Developed by the Khronos Group —the same non-profit consortium behind OpenGL—Vulkan was designed to provide better performance and more efficient CPU/GPU usage compared to older standards. Version 1.0.39.1 is a specific release of the "Runtime," which refers to the set of files (specifically vulkan-1.dll ) required for games to actually run the Vulkan API on your system. Why Is It on Your Computer?
Vulkan is a low-level Graphics Application Programming Interface (API). Much like DirectX or OpenGL, it serves as a bridge that allows video games and other graphics-heavy software to communicate directly with your graphics hardware (GPU). Vulkan Runtime Libraries 1.0.39.1
You likely didn't install this manually. Vulkan Runtime Libraries are typically bundled with graphics driver updates from major manufacturers: Developed by the Khronos Group —the same non-profit