A CPU serves as the core processing component of any computer system, often called its "brain”. Its primary role is to execute instructions from software and the operating system, perform calculations, and manage the flow of data across memory, storage, and peripheral devices. From smartphones and laptops to servers in data centers, every digital device relies on a CPU to process information effectively.
Modern CPUs incorporate billions of transistors and complex architectures, carefully engineered to optimize performance, power efficiency, and reliability. The performance of a CPU is typically measured by metrics like clock speed (in GHz), the number of processing cores, and its underlying Instruction Set Architecture (ISA).
CPUs are the core components that execute all instructions and process data, making them central to any computing device’s function. Without a CPU, a computer or server cannot operate. CPUs come in different architectures and designs, each optimized for specific workloads and use cases. For example, Ampere Computing builds ARM (Advanced RISC Machine) CPUs that use a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) architecture. This intentional design choice allows for low power consumption which reduces cooling and electricity costs and facilitates high core density for efficient use of racks and scalable parallel processing capabilities.