Trillion operations per second (TOPS)
Trillion operations per second (TOPS) is a CPU metric used to measure the computational capabilities of processors, particularly in applications involving artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). This measurement denotes the number of calculations a processor can perform in one second, reflecting its ability to handle complex workloads efficiently. Processors like Apple’s A14 Bionic and M1 feature Neural Engines capable of achieving trillions of operations per second, enabling advanced features like real-time video processing, facial recognition, and natural language understanding. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operations_per_second
The growth of AI and ML applications has made trillion operations per second a critical benchmark for processors. Devices that integrate TOPS-capable processors, such as smartphones, autonomous vehicles, and edge devices, leverage these capabilities to process large volumes of data quickly. For instance, the 16-core Neural Engine in Apple’s A14 Bionic is capable of 11 TOPS, powering features like Smart HDR in photography and real-time language translation. Such advancements demonstrate the significance of TOPS in modern processor design. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/10/apple-announces-a14-bionic
As AI workloads grow in complexity, achieving higher trillion operations per second metrics is becoming a priority for hardware developers. Companies like NVIDIA, AMD, and Google are developing AI accelerators and GPUs capable of performing tens or hundreds of TOPS to meet the demands of data centers and AI-driven applications. The ability to scale computational power through hardware with high TOPS performance is pivotal in industries such as autonomous driving, robotics, and high-performance computing. https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/data-center/ai-solutions/