Processor (computing)

In computing, a processor or processing unit is a digital circuit which performs operations on some external data source, usually memory or some other data stream.[1] It typically takes the form of a microprocessor, which can be implemented on a single metal–oxide–semiconductor integrated circuit chip.

The term is frequently used to refer to the central processing unit in a system.[2] However, it can also refer to other co-processors.

Examples

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Basic computer components
Input devices	Keyboard Image scanner Microphone Pointing device Graphics tablet Game controller Light pen Mouse Optical Pointing stick Touchpad Touchscreen Trackball Refreshable braille display Sound card Sound chip Webcam Softcam Video card GPU
Output devices	Monitor Screen Refreshable braille display Printer Plotter Speakers Sound card Video card
Removable data storage	Disk pack Floppy disk Optical disc CD DVD Blu-ray Flash memory Memory card USB flash drive
Computer case	Central processing unit Microprocessor Motherboard Memory RAM BIOS Data storage HDD SSD SSHD Power supply SMPS MOSFET Power MOSFET VRM Network interface controller Fax modem Expansion card
Ports	Ethernet FireWire (IEEE 1394) Parallel port Serial port PS/2 port USB Thunderbolt DisplayPort / HDMI / DVI / VGA eSATA Audio jack

Digital electronics
Components	Printed electronics Printed circuit board Electronic circuit Flip-flop Memory cell Combinational logic Sequential logic Logic gate Boolean circuit Integrated circuit (IC) Emitter-coupled logic (ECL) Erasable programmable logic device (EPLD) Programmable logic array (PLA) Programmable logic device (PLD) Programmable Array Logic (PAL) Generic array logic (GAL) Complex programmable logic device (CPLD) Field-programmable gate array (FPGA) Application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) Tensor Processing Unit (TPU)
Theory	Digital signal Boolean algebra Logic synthesis Logic in computer science Computer architecture Digital signal Digital signal processing Circuit minimization Switching circuit theory Gate equivalent
Design	Logic synthesis Place and route Placement Routing Register-transfer level Hardware description language High-level synthesis Formal equivalence checking Synchronous logic Asynchronous logic Finite-state machine Hierarchical state machine
Applications	Computer hardware Hardware acceleration Digital audio radio Digital photography Digital telephone Digital video cinema television Electronic literature
Design issues	Metastability Runt pulse