Glossary
Compute (AI)
The processing power used to train and run AI models, usually supplied by specialized chips in data centers.
In AI news, "compute" is shorthand for the computing resources needed to train and run models: chips, the servers and networks that link them, and the data centers and electricity that power them.
Access to compute is one of the main constraints on AI development, which is why companies sign large multi-year deals to secure it and why governments regulate exports of advanced chips. Some policies use the amount of training compute, measured in FLOPs, as a threshold for extra rules.
Compute is often described in dollars, chips, or power (megawatts or gigawatts). These are different measures and cannot be converted into one another without assumptions.
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