Google's new processor fast-forwards machine learning technology

Google has unveiled a custom chip created specifically to facilitate projects related to machine learning and artificial intelligence. The company is calling the chip a Tensor Processing Unit, or TPU, in reference to the fact that it has been tailored to work with its TensorFlow machine learning API. A blog post published by hardware engineer Norm Jouppi reveals that the TPU started its life as a "stealthy project" several years ago. The technology has now been implemented in Google's data centers for more than a year, and it appears that the chips offer distinct advantages over standard processors. Google claims that its TPUs offer "better-optimized performance per watt for machine learning."