Artificial intelligence (AI) has made tremendous progress this year, being a hot topic, with various AI models and applications emerging continuously. A significant part of computer efficiency focused on AI is achieved through NPUs, which can be found in the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and Intel Core Ultra processors.
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What is NPU? How does NPU accelerate AI tasks? More importantly, what can NPU do for us?
NPU (Neural Processing Units) is an AI chip designed to execute AI tasks faster than GPU (Graphics Processing Units) and CPU (Central Processing Units). It reduces some loads on the GPU and CPU by handling small repetitive processes, allowing computers to work more efficiently in meeting AI-driven requests.
Neural Processing Units (NPUs) can accelerate AI machine learning tasks such as speech recognition, background blurring in video calls, object detection in photo or video editing processes, and more.
CPU, GPU, and NPU are all crucial for overall computer operation, handling different rendering and computing tasks. These processors can perform some image rendering, but they focus on different aspects. GPU is specifically used for rendering complex images in video editing and gaming tasks. NPU takes some workload off the GPU, aimed at faster processing of short, repetitive AI tasks. Thus, GPU can focus on larger tasks, making the system operate more efficiently.
The operating system examines your computer’s hardware and determines whether GPU or NPU is better suited for specific AI tasks based on the system’s specifications and available resources.
Intel is a leader in the CPU industry, NVIDIA leads in the GPU industry, and AMD combines both effectively.
In the future, we’ll witness more NPUs integrated into processors. For instance, the new Intel Core Ultra processor (previously codenamed Meteor Lake) incorporates an NPU and is widely used in the latest ultrabooks and laptops.
Qualcomm has been dedicated to NPU development for years and is ahead of its competitors. Its Snapdragon X Elite processor, utilizing CPU, GPU, and NPU, will soon appear on Windows laptops. According to Qualcomm, Snapdragon X Elite can perform 75 Tera Operations Per Second (TOP).
Qualcomm demonstrated the powerful capabilities of the Snapdragon X Elite by benchmarking it against Apple’s MacBook Pro laptops. Qualcomm’s NPU has also been proven capable of handling generative AI images, a capability we might soon see in Qualcomm-based smartphones.
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What is machine learning, and how does it differ from deep learning?
Machine learning is a facet of artificial intelligence that allows programs to gather data and make decisions based on the information they possess. Deep learning goes further, where neural networks function like a human brain, generating new results and decisions based on the information collected, rather than simply repeating it.
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Is an NPU helpful for gaming laptops?
Not particularly. Dedicated GPUs handle most of the heavy lifting regarding intensive game graphics, while NPUs are primarily used for small-scale AI assistance. Therefore, NPUs are better suited for ultrabooks and laptops rather than gaming laptops and desktop gaming rigs.
When you close a game and return to the Windows desktop, AI can help detect when your laptop should switch back to integrated graphics and continue the same operations from the NPU. They’ll undoubtedly make appearances in modern gaming laptops, but they won’t receive as much attention as dedicated GPUs for raw gaming performance.
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