Glossary term
TPU (Tensor Processing Unit)
Google's custom AI accelerator ASIC, manufactured with Broadcom; the leading example of hyperscaler custom silicon.
A TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) is Google's custom AI accelerator, an ASIC designed for neural-network math and manufactured in partnership with Broadcom. It is the leading example of hyperscaler custom silicon, powering Google's internal AI and Cloud TPU offerings as an alternative to NVIDIA GPUs. The TPU program is the proof case that custom ASICs can displace meaningful GPU volume at scale. See Custom Silicon 101.