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Glite Dictionary
💻 A CPU type ⚡ A speed unit
MIPS

MIPS

1 8.5
A measure of how many instructions a processor can do in one second, where one unit is one million instructions
  • noun
  • /mɪps/
  • Specialized
translation icon : MIPS
  • On top of this, computer processing speed has risen from 1 million instructions per second to over 100 MIPS.

Examples

  • Traditionally, hardware engineers focus on increasing MIPS, and software engineers focus on reducing path length (instructions per transaction).

    Academic text (2000)

  • Even today, a typical iOS or Android handset has about as many MIPS as a workstation circa 2001–2003.

    Blog text (16)

  • We can now implement image-processing algorithms requiring 10,000 MIPS for just a few hundred dollars.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The performance of the new CPU is impressive, reaching 500 MIPS in benchmark tests.

  • To evaluate the speed of different processors, engineers often measure their performance in MIPS.

  • Modern gaming consoles can achieve over 12,000 MIPS, allowing for much more complex graphics.

Synonyms

million instructions per second
vsMIPS
  • Specialized
4.4

A unit for measuring how fast a computer processor runs, equal to one million instructions per second

has identical meaning but appears as a short abbreviation

Surface Forms

MIPS singular
MIPS plural

Morphology

MIPS = M + I + P + S

This is an initialism (M I P S) whose letters do not transparently convey the meaning 'millions of instructions per second' to an average learner without knowing the expansion.

Etymology

MIPS stands for Million Instructions Per Second, so it counts how many small 'instructions' a CPU can do in one second. A helpful way to remember it is to think of 'mph' for cars but for computer speed, which is why a higher number means a faster processor.