Google reveals the Tensor Processing Unit, a custom AI chip already running in its data centres

Google DeepMind/Tensor Processing Unit (TPU)

Google announced the Tensor Processing Unit, a custom chip designed specifically for machine learning and optimized for TensorFlow, which had been running in its data centers for over a year. The TPU delivers roughly seven years' worth of Moore's Law progress in performance per watt by tolerating lower numerical precision, reducing transistors per operation.

• Order of magnitude better performance per watt for machine learning workloads.
• From first tested silicon to running applications in data centers within 22 days.
• Powers RankBrain search relevancy, Street View image processing, and AlphaGo matches.
• TPU board fits in a standard hard disk drive slot in data center racks.