A CPU, or central processing unit, is the heart of any computer and a key element in understanding how computers and smart devices work. This essential hardware component interprets commands a program sends and executes them at rapid speed, and communicates with the rest of the system and its peripherals. It is also responsible for transferring data to and from memory, the main storage area.
Almost all modern CPUs can be very accurately described as von Neumann stored-program computers and follow the same basic instructions. When a CPU receives an instruction, it carries out a sequence of steps that include fetch, decode and execute. The fetch step retrieves the instructions from memory, the decode stage converts those instructions into a series of control signals for all the other parts of the CPU to understand and follow, and the execution process executes that sequence of instructions.
The CPU also uses a type of on-chip memory called the cache to store data. Cache sizes vary, with a larger size enabling faster data transfers. There are four types of CPU registers, including the control, status, general-purpose and floating-point registers. The status register lets the CPU know which part of its work it is executing, while the general-purpose and floating-point registers store values that are processed by other components.
The CPU has a variety of attributes that make it a great choice for many use cases, including flexibility, precision and the fact that it is compatible with most motherboards and system designs. But some tasks, such as recognizing faces in photos, require more sophisticated calculations. This is where GPUs, which excel at parallel computing, come into play. The GPU can quickly complete uncomplicated, repetitive calculations—such as those used to project images onto our screens—by letting them run in parallel on numerous cores. Cpu’s