TPU — Tensor Processing Unit
Definition: Custom silicon designed by Google specifically for tensor math — the dominant operation in neural networks. TPUs trade general-purpose flexibility for raw efficiency on AI workloads.
Example
Moving the training job from GPUs to TPUs cut wall-clock time by 40% and unit cost by a third.
When you'll hear it
TPU shows up most often in AI strategy reviews, model evaluation discussions, and product roadmap meetings. When someone uses it, they're usually referring to tensor processing unit — and they expect the room to already know what that means.
FAQs
What does TPU stand for?
TPU stands for Tensor Processing Unit.
What does TPU mean in AI and machine-learning?
Custom silicon designed by Google specifically for tensor math — the dominant operation in neural networks. TPUs trade general-purpose flexibility for raw efficiency on AI workloads.
Where will I hear TPU used at work?
TPU comes up most often in AI strategy reviews, model evaluation discussions, and product roadmap meetings. It's used as shorthand for tensor processing unit, so people assume you already know the term.