Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is a computer chip that is responsible for handling the computational demands of graphics-intensive functions on a computer.
GPUs are made up of many smaller and more specialized cores which by working together, they deliver massive performance when a processing task can be divided up and processed across many cores.
What is the difference between GPUs and CPUs?
A CPU is commonly referred to as the brain of the computer and it is made from millions of transistors.
The CPU is best suited for a wide variety of workloads, especially those workloads that are sensitive to latency or per-core performance. The CPU, on a powerful execution engine, will focus a smaller number of cores on individual tasks and on getting things done quickly.
Because of this, CPUs are well-equipped for jobs ranging from serial computing to running databases.
GPUs were first developed as specialized ASICs which were used mainly to accelerate specific 3D rendering tasks. But over time, they have evolved to become more general-purpose parallel processors as well, handling a growing range of applications.
What are GPUs used for?
GPUs are mostly associated with realistic graphics and the lifelike visuals of today’s top games, they are also very useful in a number of industries because of their powerful processing capabilities.
Some of the examples where GPUs are used are:
- Training deep learning neural networks with several layers.
- The smooth running of some business applications
- Video editing of large volumes of high-resolution files.
