What is Tensor?

In the context of machine learning, particularly with frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch, a tensor is a multi-dimensional array of data. It is a fundamental data structure used to represent and manipulate numerical data. Think of it as a generalization of vectors and matrices to potentially higher dimensions. Tensors are used extensively for representing inputs to neural networks (like images, text, or audio), weights of neural networks, and the output of various operations. They are crucial for performing mathematical computations efficiently, often leveraging specialized hardware like GPUs to accelerate training and inference.