It’s no secret that Artificial Intelligence has become a significant focus in recent years. AI has gradually evolved beyond specialized applications to reach everyday consumer use. This advanced technology is now set to revolutionize PCs, marking the start of a new era for AI-powered computers.
Integrating AI into PCs promises numerous benefits for users in personal, professional, and academic settings. A new and unique piece of hardware has been developed to enable this technology in devices like computers: the NPU (Neural Processing Unit).
However, many people are unfamiliar with NPUs. That’s why we’ve created this post to explain everything you need to know about this essential hardware component, which differs from a computer’s GPU or CPU.
What is an NPU?
In technical terms, NPU stands for “Neural Processing Unit”. It is a specialized Artificial Intelligence chip designed to execute all AI tasks much faster and more efficiently, especially compared to other processing components like the GPU (graphics processing unit) and CPU (central processing unit).
The NPU allows the CPU and GPU to be “freed up” from the burden of processing AI tasks since it can execute them much more quickly and smoothly. This is a positive development. It’s worth noting that Qualcomm’s following processors for ARM-based Windows computers, the Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite, will integrate this type of chip, as will Intel’s Core Ultra, previously known as Meteor Lake. Recently, devices like Dell, Surface Pro, and Surface Laptop have been introduced with the latest generation of Qualcomm processors featuring powerful NPUs.
To explain it in a much simpler way, NPUs are particular processors designed to handle artificial intelligence functions and tasks through operations in neural networks. Neural networks are layers of detailed instructions and algorithms that function like a brain, responsible for receiving, understanding, and processing data to provide an answer.
Previously, a smart device’s SoC (system on a chip) consisted of processors like the GPU and CPU, but recently, the NPU has been added to handle all types of AI tasks.
What is an NPU for?
The NPU (Neural Processing Unit) is a chip responsible for executing and handling all tasks related to Artificial Intelligence (AI). This gives it a lot of potential. Understanding how the NPU works is relatively straightforward. It has a significant difference compared to the GPU (graphics processing unit) and CPU (central processing unit) – its sole purpose is to take care of all AI-related tasks, especially those involving machine learning and neural networks. Just like the CPU and GPU perform specific tasks in an electronic device, the NPU does. It is responsible for handling the mathematical calculations required by various AI applications.
We’ve already discussed the purpose of NPUs for computers and smartphones. But let’s go into a bit more detail. The NPU integrated into your smartphone, and those included in Qualcomm’s following processors for Windows, are responsible for executing complex and advanced processes using AI tools such as Gemini, Copilot, and ChatGPT.
But that’s not all – the NPU is also used in facial recognition algorithms. So, it’s thanks to this chip that computers and mobiles can identify people, as well as objects. It can also be used for voice recognition, text translation, and many other applications.
The NPU is an exciting type of processor, and its presence in devices will allow it to become even more valuable and intelligent, being able to execute and handle numerous AI tasks easily.
What are the Applications of NPU?
The NPU (Neural Processing Unit) has many everyday and professional applications, making programs and devices even brighter. We’ve already explained that the NPU is a chip used for AI tasks. Still, it’s essential to specify what applications this chip has that utilize Machine Learning and other advanced operations.
First, the NPU can be very useful for everything related to object, facial, and voice recognition through smart devices. Additionally, this chip is ideal for executing and enhancing the capabilities of Intelligent Assistants such as Google Assistant, Siri, and others. The NPU also has applications in robotics, as it can help robots identify and recognize everything around them, including obstacles. Therefore, it improves their ability to perceive their surroundings.
This chip can also improve sensor data processing from autonomous vehicles to make them more efficient when making certain driving decisions. And more related to daily use, the NPU can also make content recommendations based on user preferences and tastes. For example, you can see this in action with platforms like Spotify and Netflix. The NPU also has applications for Augmented Reality, face detection, special effects on mobile cameras, automatic improvements through AI, and much more.
What is the future of NPUs?
Considering all the information we’ve explained throughout this post, we can speculate that NPUs (Neural Processing Units) will be accepted more in the future. They are such an advanced and useful piece of technology that will continue contributing to AI’s revolution in all aspects of our lives.
This on-chip technology will likely evolve as time passes, making the NPU even more efficient and powerful. It can be used in many more aspects of daily life.
Additionally, because the NPU handles all AI tasks, both the GPU (graphics processing unit) and the CPU (central processing unit) are free from these activities. This allows them to execute their specific functions with greater ease and fluidity, guaranteeing the best possible performance on the device.
It’s no secret that AI has been a great revolution in every sense, as it is no longer limited to technology used by large companies. It has become consumer technology and is present in applications, services, and other tools that we frequently use.
We also can’t ignore that Qualcomm has been working on this technology for a long time, and it will arrive in its Snapdragon X processors, making up an SoC (system on a chip) with a CPU, GPU, and NPU. However, Qualcomm is not the only one; Intel processors will also bring many new features and advantages to this segment, with other competitors such as MediaTek and NVIDIA joining later.
