What is TOPS and why is it important for AI?

TOPS (Tera Operations per Second) is a term used to measure, simplify, and advertise Neural Processing Unit (NPU) performance in AI PCs. TOPS is not a perfect metric, and many variables contribute to how well a system can handle AI tasks.
It nevertheless provides a quick reference to an NPU’s speed and how it compares to its competition.

TOPS is not a new term in the tech world, but it’s certainly getting a lot of mainstream attention recently with the rise of high-end AI PCs
(the definition is still murky, but it boils down to a PC with modern CPU, GPU, and NPU).

TOPS denotes how many trillions of operations a system can perform per second. TOPS can be used to measure overall system performance,
but it can also be split up for specific hardware.

Measuring TOPS is a quick and easy way to compare NPUs or to judge whether or not an NPU is capable of handling certain tools.
However, TOPS should not be considered the end-all measurement when it comes to NPU power.
There’s a lot of nuance involved, and you want to be sure that you’re getting the right hardware for the job ahead.

Should you care about TOPS? It depends. If you’re a casual PC user who handles email, web browsing, and productivity,
you can no doubt continue without worrying about NPUs and the methods used to measure their performance. If you’re shopping
for a new laptop, you might still want to pay attention to the requirements for certain AI tools that can help make your life easier.

If you are, on the other hand, interested in the emerging world of AI PCs, NPUs and their capabilities measured in TOPS are likely already familiar topics. Just be sure to consider that TOPS is not the perfect metric and is instead an easy way for chip makers to compare
and advertise their products.

Credit : https://www.windowscentral.com/hardware/laptops/what-is-tops