AI accelerator (GPU, NPU)
Beginner
A chip built to do the huge piles of multiplication in AI much faster than a normal processor.
Novice
A separate chip, usually on its own board or module, with many parallel math units and its own fast memory (often HBM). The host CPU sends it data and instructions over a link such as PCIe.
Expert
A device (GPU or other) with its own memory hierarchy and usually a dedicated scale-up fabric to its peers. To the host it is a PCIe endpoint, sometimes a CXL Type 2 device; its host link carries data staging, kernel launches and synchronization, not the bulk of training traffic.