What Is an NPU? "AI PCs" and Copilot+ Laptops Explained Simply
What a neural processing unit (NPU) does, how it differs from a CPU and GPU, what TOPS means, which features need one (Copilot+ PCs, Apple Intelligence), and whether you should pay for it.
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CPU vs GPU vs NPU
| Part | Good at | Example jobs |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | General tasks, quick decisions, running the system | Apps, browsing, spreadsheets |
| GPU | Massive parallel maths, very high performance | Games, video editing, training and running large AI models |
| NPU | AI maths at low power, for hours | Camera effects, noise removal, live translation, local assistants |
A GPU can often run AI faster than an NPU, but it uses much more power. The NPU's job is efficiency: running AI features constantly without draining the battery.
What does TOPS mean?
TOPS means trillions of operations per second, a rough measure of AI throughput, usually quoted for low-precision maths. Microsoft requires an NPU of at least 40 TOPS for a laptop to be sold as a Copilot+ PC. Like megapixels on cameras, TOPS is a guide rather than the whole story: software support matters more.
Which chips have NPUs?
- Intel Core Ultra processors (see our Intel naming guide).
- AMD Ryzen AI laptop processors.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon X series in Windows laptops.
- Apple silicon Macs, iPhones and iPads (Apple calls it the Neural Engine).
- Recent flagship phone chips from Google, Samsung, Qualcomm and MediaTek.
Features that use the NPU today
- Windows Studio Effects: background blur, eye contact and voice focus in calls.
- Live Captions with translation on Copilot+ PCs.
- Natural-language search for files and settings on Copilot+ PCs.
- Apple Intelligence features on supported Macs, iPhones and iPads.
- Photo and video apps that use AI for selections, upscaling and noise reduction.
Should you pay extra for an "AI PC"?
- Yes, if you buy a new laptop anyway: most mid-range and better models now include an NPU, and the efficiency gains help battery life on video calls.
- Do not upgrade a good laptop just for the NPU; the features are nice extras, not essentials.
- For serious local AI (running large language models or image generators), RAM and a strong GPU matter far more than the NPU.
Follow the latest AI hardware news on our live AI desk.
Quick answers
Does an NPU make games faster?
No. Games use the CPU and GPU. Some upscaling technologies use AI, but they run on the graphics card.
Do I need an NPU to use ChatGPT or Copilot?
No. Those chatbots run in the cloud. The NPU matters for features that run locally on your device.