Lenovo

NPU stands for “Neural Processing Unit” which is a specialised computer microprocessor that simulates a human brain’s neural network. A computer with an NPU uses less power and is far more efficient at handling AI tasks than a CPU or GPU, leaving them free for other tasks. For example, most laptops use AI tools to power the background images on video calls, and noise cancelling on their onboard microphones. A PC without an NPU will struggle to open additional applications while the user is on a video call, because the CPU is already hard at work on the AI tasks. A PC with an NPU can free up that CPU by offloading the AI operations onto the NPU.

PC performance is measured in several ways, including the CPU and Graphics Card (GPU) performance and now the number of “TOPS” (thousands of operations per second) from the NPU. For example, Intel's Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" CPUs for laptops offer 34 TOPS overall (including the CPU, integrated GPU, and NPU), with about 11.5 TOPS carved out of the total for the NPU alone. Next-gen Intel "Lunar Lake" mobile chips are expected to pump what it calls "NPU 4" up to 48 TOPS.

Similarly, AMD's Ryzen 8040 mobile CPUs offer NPU performance up to 16 TOPS, slightly higher than Intel's "Meteor Lake" chips, while their new Zen 5 architecture CPU’s offer an NPU with 50 TOPS of power.  

An AI PC is a computer that incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) directly into its hardware and software, enabling it to perform intelligent tasks locally, rather than relying on external cloud services or software. They have dedicated NPU’s, CPU’s and GPU’s, and are optimised for AI and machine learning tasks such as real-time translation, image generation and personalised experiences.

A Copilot+ PC is a Windows 11-based system that optimises Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant.

Examples of AI PC applications:

• Windows Studio Effects: AI PCs can use NPUs to improve camera feeds, freeing up the CPU and GPU for other tasks. 

• Generative AI: AI PCs can run generative AI models locally, allowing users to create images, text, and other content. 

• Productivity tools: AI can be used to automate tasks, such as summarising documents, creating presentations, and managing emails.