TPUs, or Tensor Processing Units, are specialized hardware designed by Google to accelerate machine learning tasks. They are optimized for performing large-scale computations, particularly those involved in neural networks, making them faster and more efficient than traditional CPUs and GPUs. These processors are commonly used in Google Cloud services, enabling developers to build and deploy machine learning models more effectively. By leveraging TPUs, users can significantly reduce the time required for training complex models, which is essential for applications like image recognition and natural language processing.