neural processing unit

Also called an "intelligent processing unit" (IPU), "neural accelerator" and "neural engine," a neural processing unit (NPU) is a set of circuits or separate chip that accelerates AI processing, especially for the user (inference). See AI training vs. inference.

The NPU performs matrix multiplication especially for desktop and mobile devices, adding AI computing power that is normally in AI datacenter servers. See GPU, AI PC and AI datacenter.

In 2016, Qualcomm introduced its Zeroth Machine Intelligence Platform and Snapdragon Neural Processing Engine that enabled mobile devices to execute AI applications on their own rather than going to a datacenter in the cloud. See neural network and neuromorphic computing.