Neural Processing Units in Laptops: Your Guide to AI-Powered Computing
If you've been shopping for a new laptop recently, you might have noticed a new term appearing in spec sheets: Neural Processing Unit, or NPU. While this might sound like tech jargon, NPUs are quietly revolutionising how laptops handle everyday tasks, and understanding what they do could help you make a smarter purchasing decision.
What Exactly is a Neural Processing Unit?
Think of an NPU as your laptop's dedicated AI assistant—a specialised chip designed specifically to handle artificial intelligence tasks. While your laptop's main processor (CPU) is like a highly skilled generalist that can handle any task thrown at it, and your graphics card (GPU) excels at visual processing, the NPU is the specialist that's brilliant at one particular job: running AI applications efficiently.
Just as you wouldn't use a screwdriver to hammer in a nail, your laptop's CPU isn't the most efficient tool for AI tasks. That's where the
