Tabata focuses on exerting maximum effort for a minimal amount of time. In a four-minute tabata workout, you alternate between 20-second intervals of all-out effort (as in your 100-percent max) and 10-second intervals of rest for eight total rounds. This two-to-one work-to-rest ratio is what makes tabata famous. It's designed to elevate your heart rate to a high anaerobic zone and give the body just a short window to recover. Basically, by pushing your body into the anaerobic zone (meaning it has to work too hard to use oxygen for fuel), you burn more calories both during and after your workout.
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