GPU

abbreviation or noun

ˌjē-(ˌ)pē-ˈyü

variants or less commonly gpu

plural GPUs also gpus

: a specialized CPU designed to efficiently perform calculations for generating computer graphics

A GPU can deliver hundreds of billions of operations per second—some GPUs more than a teraflop, or a trillion operations per second—while requiring only slightly more electrical power and cooling than a CPU.—Andrea Di Blas et al.

Examples of GPU in a Sentence

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Advanced Micro Devices is another competitor in the GPU space. — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 27 June 2026 The platform is designed to operate at 800-volt DC, the same voltage as GPU racks, ensuring less waste and maximizing compute per watt. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026 Performance overheads, integration complexity, and the requirement for ecosystem maturity for standards and certification are all introduced by confidential computing (although GPU developments are closing this gap). — Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Supported by a potent Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, ample RAM, and a generous 1TB SSD, the OmniBook 7 can handle any massive data sets, lengthy presentations, and more while running several programs at once. — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for GPU

Word History

Etymology

graphics processing unit

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of GPU was in 1973

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GPS

GPU

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Style

“GPU.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/GPU. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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GPU

abbreviation or noun

Examples of GPU in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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