A CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is a hardware component that acts as the core computational unit in a computer or server. It is responsible for executing instructions of a computer program, such as arithmetic, logic, controlling, and other operations to transform data input into more usable information output. The CPU is often referred to as the "brain" of a computer, and it fetches instructions from memory, performs the required tasks, and sends output back to memory.
Most modern CPUs are implemented on integrated circuit (IC) microprocessors, with one or more CPUs on a single IC chip. Microprocessor chips with multiple CPUs are multi-core processors, and the individual physical CPUs, processor cores, can also be multithreaded to create additional virtual or logical CPUs. Running multiple processor units simultaneously allows for multi-tasking and can dramatically improve performance.
The CPU is separate from the memory, which is where information is temporarily stored, and it also works with other components such as the graphics card to process information and display it on a monitor. The CPU is a critical component that defines a computing device, and while it is of critical importance, the CPU can only function alongside other hardware.
