GPU

abbreviation or noun

ˌjē-(ˌ)pē-ˈyü 

variants or less commonly gpu

plural GPUs also gpus

: a specialized CPU designed to efficiently perform calculations for generating computer graphics

A GPU can deliver hundreds of billions of operations per second—some GPUs more than a teraflop, or a trillion operations per second—while requiring only slightly more electrical power and cooling than a CPU.

—Andrea Di Blas et al.

Examples of GPU in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That framing also helps elevate the Nemotron work inside Nvidia, where teams are competing for scarce GPU resources. —Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2026

Now, multiple dies such as logic chips and high-bandwidth memory are packaged together into one larger chip, like a graphics processing unit, or GPU. —Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026

This processor offers a 39% increase in NPU performance, a 24% increase in GPU performance, and a 19% increase in CPU performance compared with the last-generation chip found in the Galaxy S25 line. —Iyaz Akhtar, PC Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026

The new partnership will help strengthen the AiOnX platform with GPU-as-a-Service and AI-as-a-Service capabilities across Europe. —Jason Phillips, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

graphics processing unit

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above