diff --git a/settings.gradle.kts b/settings.gradle.kts
index ec6ef6d7..909a2ea6 100644
--- a/settings.gradle.kts
+++ b/settings.gradle.kts
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ include("skainet-compile:skainet-compile-hlo")
 include("skainet-compile:skainet-compile-c")
 
 // ====== BACKENDS
+include("skainet-backends:skainet-backend-api")
 include("skainet-backends:skainet-backend-cpu")
 
 // ====== BENCHMARKS
diff --git a/skainet-backends/skainet-backend-api/build.gradle.kts b/skainet-backends/skainet-backend-api/build.gradle.kts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a573fcca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/skainet-backends/skainet-backend-api/build.gradle.kts
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.ExperimentalWasmDsl
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget
+
+plugins {
+    alias(libs.plugins.kotlinMultiplatform)
+    alias(libs.plugins.androidMultiplatformLibrary)
+    id("sk.ainet.dokka")
+}
+
+kotlin {
+    explicitApi()
+    android {
+        namespace = "sk.ainet.backend.api"
+        compileSdk = libs.versions.android.compileSdk.get().toInt()
+        minSdk = libs.versions.android.minSdk.get().toInt()
+        compilerOptions {
+            jvmTarget.set(JvmTarget.JVM_11)
+        }
+    }
+
+    iosArm64()
+    iosSimulatorArm64()
+    macosArm64()
+    linuxX64()
+    linuxArm64()
+
+    jvm()
+
+    js {
+        browser()
+    }
+
+    @OptIn(ExperimentalWasmDsl::class)
+    wasmJs {
+        browser()
+    }
+
+    @OptIn(ExperimentalWasmDsl::class)
+    wasmWasi {
+        nodejs()
+    }
+
+    sourceSets {
+        commonMain.dependencies {
+            // Neutral backend API is an `api` re-export of the tensor op and
+            // storage interfaces already defined in skainet-lang-core. Any
+            // concrete backend (CPU, IREE, Metal, NPU, ...) should depend on
+            // this module instead of pulling in skainet-backend-cpu just to
+            // reach TensorOps / TensorDataFactory / TensorData.
+            api(project(":skainet-lang:skainet-lang-core"))
+        }
+
+        val jvmMain by getting
+        val androidMain by getting
+        val wasmJsMain by getting
+
+        val commonMain by getting
+
+        val nativeMain by creating {
+            dependsOn(commonMain)
+        }
+
+        val appleMain by creating {
+            dependsOn(nativeMain)
+        }
+
+        val linuxMain by creating {
+            dependsOn(nativeMain)
+        }
+
+        val iosMain by creating {
+            dependsOn(appleMain)
+        }
+
+        val macosMain by creating {
+            dependsOn(appleMain)
+        }
+
+        val iosArm64Main by getting {
+            dependsOn(iosMain)
+        }
+
+        val iosSimulatorArm64Main by getting {
+            dependsOn(iosMain)
+        }
+
+        val macosArm64Main by getting {
+            dependsOn(macosMain)
+        }
+
+        val linuxX64Main by getting {
+            dependsOn(linuxMain)
+        }
+
+        val linuxArm64Main by getting {
+            dependsOn(linuxMain)
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/skainet-backends/skainet-backend-api/src/commonMain/kotlin/sk/ainet/backend/api/BackendApi.kt b/skainet-backends/skainet-backend-api/src/commonMain/kotlin/sk/ainet/backend/api/BackendApi.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..eabd55df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/skainet-backends/skainet-backend-api/src/commonMain/kotlin/sk/ainet/backend/api/BackendApi.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+package sk.ainet.backend.api
+
+/**
+ * Marker for the backend-neutral API surface of SKaiNET.
+ *
+ * This module owns no implementation of its own. It `api`-re-exports the
+ * tensor op and storage interfaces that already live in `skainet-lang-core`
+ * (notably `TensorOps`, `TensorDataFactory`, `TensorData` and friends), so
+ * that concrete backends — `skainet-backend-cpu` today, and future IREE /
+ * Metal / NPU backends — can depend on a single neutral module instead of
+ * pulling in the CPU backend just to reach the interfaces they implement.
+ *
+ * Consumer migration from `skainet-backend-cpu` to this module is handled
+ * in follow-up PRs in the P0-2 track and is intentionally out of scope for
+ * the first change that introduces the module.
+ */
+public object BackendApi
diff --git a/skainet-backends/skainet-backend-cpu/build.gradle.kts b/skainet-backends/skainet-backend-cpu/build.gradle.kts
index 3864033b..63e19acd 100644
--- a/skainet-backends/skainet-backend-cpu/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/skainet-backends/skainet-backend-cpu/build.gradle.kts
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ kotlin {
 
     sourceSets {
         commonMain.dependencies {
+            // Every concrete backend should go through the neutral api
+            // module; it transitively brings in skainet-lang-core.
+            implementation(project(":skainet-backends:skainet-backend-api"))
             implementation(project(":skainet-lang:skainet-lang-core"))
             implementation(project(":skainet-compile:skainet-compile-core"))
             implementation(project(":skainet-lang:skainet-lang-ksp-annotations"))