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

Shortening the distance between them, Apple says, alleviates data bottlenecks among the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine, enabling better sustained multitasking performance and unlocking new capabilities for running local AI models. — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026

Under heavy load, each GPU can draw several hundred watts and generate heat that must be removed. — Austyn Gaffney, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2026

The chip includes a six-core CPU, seven-core GPU, and dual 16-core Neural Engines, while being built using a 2-nanometer process. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026

India should stop measuring AI progress by GPU counts, data center pledges and chatbot launch events. — Sajal Singh, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

graphics processing unit

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above