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Glossary entry

TPU

A tensor processing unit, a specialized processor designed to accelerate machine learning workloads.

Why it matters

TPU matters because specialized hardware can change the performance and cost profile of AI workloads, influencing where and how models are economically hosted.

The relevance of TPUs in enterprise AI is often tied to deployment model: they can improve certain workloads materially, but only if the surrounding platform and operating choices support them.