What is a CPU?

Often referred to as the brains of computers, CPU’s reside in almost all modern devices, including tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, and even thermostats. Despite being so small, these tiny circuits perform calculations that run the software of each device. In fact, a CPU is what makes it possible to call your friends, open web browsers, and so much more.

A CPU can be thought of as a von Neumann stored-program machine: it stores data and instructions in its memory, then uses those instructions to act upon the input from a program. Its main parts are the arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and the control unit (CU). The arithmetic ALU does arithmetic operations like adding numbers together and logical functions such as Boolean logic. The control unit manages the CPU, letting the ALU and memory know how to process an instruction. It also handles the fetch, decode, and execution phases of processing.

Fetch – The CPU retrieves the next instruction from its memory and sends it to its ALU for execution. The ALU processes the instruction, turning it into data words and a code that determines what action to take. It then acts on the data and instructions, converting them into electrical signals that travel to relevant parts of the CPU for further processing.

Depending on the application, the CPU can have multiple cores that work on different tasks at the same time. A CPU with more cores can improve performance for games, video editing, and other demanding applications. Cpu’s