Ask A Techspert: What Is Inference?
Google, June 23,2025
Inference is a big part of what's making AI more capable - learn more about what exactly it is from two Google experts
In April, we introduced Ironwood, our seventh-generation Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) designed to power the age of generative AI inference. TPUs - which are chips that power AI systems - are not new to Google, but this latest generation is different: It's meant to take AI systems beyond being responsive and help them be proactive instead. And it will accomplish this thanks to inference, which is the process that allows AI systems to use models to make knowledge-based outputs.