Processor

Processor may refer to:

Computing

Hardware

• Processor (computing)
  • Central processing unit (CPU), the hardware within a computer that executes a program
    • Arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a component of the CPU that is a combinational digital circuit that performs arithmetic and bitwise operations on integer binary numbers
    • Control unit (CU), a component of the CPU that directs the operation of the processor
    • Microprocessor, a central processing unit contained on a single integrated circuit (IC)
      • Application-specific instruction set processor (ASIP), a component used in system-on-a-chip design
      • Graphics processing unit (GPU), a processor designed for doing dedicated graphics-rendering computations
      • Physics processing unit (PPU), a dedicated microprocessor designed to handle the calculations of physics
      • Digital signal processor (DSP), a specialized microprocessor designed specifically for digital signal processing
        • Image processor, a specialized DSP used for image processing in digital cameras, mobile phones or other devices
      • Neural processing unit (NPU), a class of specialized hardware accelerator or computer system designed to accelerate artificial intelligence and machine learning applications, including artificial neural networks and machine vision
      • Vision processing unit (VPU), an emerging (as of 2023) class of microprocessor; it is a specific type of AI accelerator, designed to accelerate machine vision tasks
      • Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), an AI accelerator application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) developed by Google for neural network machine learning, using Google's own TensorFlow software.
      • Quantum processor, a computer that takes advantage of quantum mechanical phenomena. At small scales, physical matter exhibits properties of both particles and waves, and quantum computing leverages this behavior, specifically quantum superposition and entanglement, using specialized hardware that supports the preparation and manipulation of quantum states.
      • Coprocessor
      • Floating-point unit
      • Network processor, a microprocessor specifically targeted at the networking application domain
  • Multi-core processor, single component with two or more independent CPUs (called "cores") on the same chip carrier or on the same die
  • Front-end processor, a helper processor for communication between a host computer and other devices

Software

• Word processor, a computer application used for the production of potentially printable material
• Document processor, a computer application that superficially resembles a word processor—but emphasizes the visual layout of the document's components

Systems

• Data processing system, a combination of machines, people, and processes that for a set of inputs produces a defined set of outputs
• Information system, a system composed of people and computers that processes or interprets information

Other

• Firewood processor, a machine designed to cut and split firewood
• Food processor, an appliance used to facilitate repetitive tasks in the preparation of food

See also

• All pages with titles containing processor
• Process (disambiguation)
• Data processing (disambiguation)