Central processing unit (CPU) is one of the main equipment of electronic computer and the core component of computer. Its function is mainly to interpret computer instructions and process data in computer software. CPU is the core component of computer, which is responsible for reading, decoding and executing instructions. Central processing unit is mainly composed of two parts, namely, controller and arithmetic unit, and also includes cache memory and data and control bus to realize the connection between them.
The three core components of an electronic computer are the central processing unit, memory and input/output devices. The functions of the central processing unit are mainly to process instructions, perform operations, control time and process data. In computer architecture, CPU is the core hardware unit that controls and allocates all hardware resources (such as memory, input and output units) and performs general operations.
CPU is the computing and control core of computer. The operation of all software layers in the computer system will eventually be mapped to the operation of CPU through the instruction set.
The development history of CPU:
CPU appeared in the era of large-scale integrated circuits, and the iterative update of processor architecture design and the continuous progress of integrated circuit technology promoted its continuous development and perfection. Since its birth, CPU has developed rapidly, from being dedicated to mathematical computing at first to being widely used in general computing, from 4-bit to 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit processor, and finally to 64-bit processor, from the incompatibility of various manufacturers to the emergence of different instruction set architecture specifications.
CPU has been developed for more than 40 years. 1995165438+1October, Intel released the Pentium processor. The processor adopts superscalar instruction pipeline structure for the first time, and introduces out-of-order execution and branch prediction technology, which greatly improves the performance of the processor. Therefore, the superscalar instruction pipeline structure was adopted by later modern processors, such as AMD's Ruilong and Intel's Core series.
Reference to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia -CPU