Think of an NPU as a specialised chip inside your device, designed to handle the complex calculations needed for artificial intelligence (AI). Here's what makes it special:
- Built for AI Thinking: Unlike CPUs and GPUs, which are jacks-of-all-trades, NPUs are tailor-made for the way AI algorithms process information.
- Speedy and Efficient: They're brilliant at performing loads of simple maths operations simultaneously – a skill that neural networks (the brains of AI) depend on. This means AI tasks run faster while using less power.
Where You'll Find NPUs
- Smartphones: NPUs in mobile phone chips power features like image recognition for fancy camera filters and snappy voice assistant responses.
- Self-Driving Cars: Powerful NPUs process a mountain of sensor data in real-time so cars can make safe decisions.
- Cloud Computing: Big data centres use NPUs for tasks like speech recognition and analysing images on a massive scale.
- Dedicated AI Devices: Some gadgets, like smart speakers and security cameras, have smaller NPUs built-in for efficient AI processing.
Why NPUs matter:
- Faster and Smoother AI: NPUs make AI features more responsive on your devices, even if you're offline.
- Longer Battery Life: By letting the NPU take over AI tasks, your device's battery lasts longer.
- The Future of Tech: As AI gets used in more places, NPUs will play a crucial role in how our gadgets understand the world.
Return to the technical glossary to learn more about the technology we reference throughout this website.
