latency

American  

[leyt-n-see] / ˈleɪt n si /

noun

plural

latencies

1. the state of being latent.

2. latent period.

3. Computers. the period of delay when one component of a hardware system is waiting for an action to be executed by another component.

4. Digital Technology. the time required online or in a network for the one-way or round-trip transfer of data between two nodes.

5. Digital Technology. (in virtual reality and other types of simulation) the discrepancy between the time delay of stimulus and response in the simulation as compared to the real-world equivalent.

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Etymology

Origin of latency

First recorded in 1630–40; lat(ent) + -ency

Example Sentences

When it comes to running AI models, delays, known as latency, and energy consumption are tied to moving data in and out of memory.

From The Wall Street Journal

As you think about the transition to the edge and the move to agentic AI, latency and geography matter.

From Barron's

This extensive infrastructure supports high-speed connections and low latency, contributing to favorable Proton VPN test results.

From Salon

Inference chips, therefore, must have larger amounts of high-bandwidth memory, and the data centers they sit in must be located close to populations of users to reduce latency time.

From The Wall Street Journal

Morgan Stanley agreed, arguing that cybersecurity tools need to have zero latency and near-100% accuracy—two features AI tools still lack.

From Barron's