A 

multi-core processor is a computer processor on a single integrated circuit with two or more

separate processing units, called cores, each of which reads and executes program instructions.
[1]
 The instructions are ordinary CPU instructions (such as add, move data, and branch) but the
single processor can run instructions on separate cores at the same time, increasing overall
speed for programs that support multithreading or other parallel computing techniques.
[2]
 Manufacturers typically integrate the cores onto a single integrated circuit die (known as a chip
multiprocessor or CMP) or onto multiple dies in a single chip package. The microprocessors
currently used in almost all personal computers are multi-core.

A multi-core processor implements multiprocessing in a single physical package. Designers may

couple cores in a multi-core device tightly or loosely. For example, cores may or may not
share caches, and they may implement message passing or shared-memory inter-core
communication methods. Common network topologies used to interconnect cores
include bus, ring, two-dimensional mesh, and crossbar. Homogeneous multi-core systems
include only identical cores; heterogeneous multi-core systems have cores that are not identical
(e.g. big.LITTLE have heterogeneous cores that share the same instruction set, while AMD
Accelerated Processing Units have cores that do not share the same instruction set). Just as with
single-processor systems, cores in multi-core systems may implement architectures such
as VLIW, superscalar, vector, or multithreading.

Terminology[edit]
The terms multi-core and dual-core most commonly refer to some sort of central processing
unit (CPU), but are sometimes also applied to digital signal processors (DSP) and system on a
chip (SoC). The terms are generally used only to refer to multi-core microprocessors that are
manufactured on the same integrated circuit die; separate microprocessor dies in the same
package are generally referred to by another name, such as multi-chip module. This article uses
the terms "multi-core" and "dual-core" for CPUs manufactured on the same integrated circuit,
unless otherwise noted.
In contrast to multi-core systems, the term multi-CPU refers to multiple physically separate
processing-units (which often contain special circuitry to facilitate communication between each
other).
The terms many-core and massively multi-core are sometimes used to describe multi-core
architectures with an especially high number of cores (tens to thousands[7]).[8]
Some systems use many soft microprocessor cores placed on a single FPGA. Each "core" can
be considered a "semiconductor intellectual property core" as well as a CPU core.[citation needed]

Development[edit]
While manufacturing technology improves, reducing the size of individual gates, physical limits
of semiconductor-based microelectronics have become a major design concern. These physical
limitations can cause significant heat dissipation and data synchronization problems. Various
other methods are used to improve CPU performance. Some instruction-level parallelism (ILP)
methods such as superscalar pipelining are suitable for many applications, but are inefficient for
others that contain difficult-to-predict code. Many applications are better suited to thread-level
parallelism (TLP) methods, and multiple independent CPUs are commonly used to increase a
system's overall TLP. A combination of increased available space (due to refined manufacturing
processes) and the demand for increased TLP led to the development of multi-core CPUs.

A single-core processor is a microprocessor with a single core on a chip, running and computing
a single thread at any one time. The system of single-core consumes a considerable amount of
time by doing so. A major improvement occurred after the emergence of multi-core processors
which have several independent processors on a single chip and can perform many functions at
a time.

Supportive Operating Systems are:

 Microsoft Windows (Windows XP or above)
 Linux
 Mac OS X
 Most BSD-based systems
 Solaris

Examples of Multi-Core Processors

Homogeneous Multi-Core Processor – In which, all identical
processor cores can support same instruction set architecture
(ISA).

Homogeneous Multi-Core Processor – In which, all identical

processor cores can support same instruction set architecture
(ISA).
For example – MPC8641, Intel Core Duo
Heterogeneous Multi-Core Processor – In which, all non-identical
processor cores can support
different instruction set architecture (ISA).
For example – Intel CE 2110 Media because it is comprised of Intel
Xscale processor core and an Intel Micro Signal Architecture (MSA)
DSP core

Applications of Multi-Core Processor

Multi core processors are used in different areas, like as – 
 High graphic games like as Overwatch, Star Wars Battlefront,
and 3D games
 Computer-aided design (CAD) and Solidworks
 Multimedia applications
 Video editing softwares like as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe
Premier and iMovie
 Scientific tool like as MATLAB
 Embedded systems like as industrial robots
 Digital Signal Processing
 Computer utility like as Excel
 Database servers and high network traffic
 Encoding
 smart phones, laptops, desktops, and tablets
Industrial Applications List :
 Machine vision
 CAD systems
 CNC machines
 Automated test systems
 Motion control

Abstract
Microprocessors have revolutionized the world we live in and continuous efforts are being made to manufacture
not only faster chips but also smarter ones. A number of techniques such as data level parallelism, instruction
level parallelism and hyper threading (Intel's HT) already exists which have dramatically improved the
performance of microprocessor cores. This paper briefs on evolution of multi-core processors followed by
introducing the technology and its advantages in today's world. The paper concludes by detailing on the
challenges currently faced by multi-core processors and how the industry is trying to address these issues.

BRIEF HISTORY
When the first chip-based processors were manufactured, the
companies making these chips could only fit one processor on a
single chip. As the chip-making technology improved, it became
possible for chip makers to make chips with more circuits, and
eventually, the manufacturing technology reached the point
where chip makers could manufacture chips with more than one
processor and created the multi-core chip.

Kunle Olukotun, a Stanford Electrical Engineering professor,

and his students designed the first multi-core chip in 1998.In
2001, IBM introduced the world’s first multicore processor, a
VLSI (very-large-scale integration) chip with two 64-bit
microprocessors comprising more than 170 million transistors.

This breakthrough design in architecture and semiconductor

engineering allowed these two processors to work together at a
very high bandwidth with large on-chip memories, and with
high-speed busses and input/output channels.

Four of these new microprocessors working together as a

powerful 8-way module established a new industry standard
and produced a then-record clock speed of 1.3 gigahertz.
WHY “MORE” CORES & WHAT DOES IT
MEAN ?
Processor cores are simply units that are a part of any
computer’s CPU. Their function is to receive instructions and
carry out computing operations, where information is processed
and stored temporarily in the RAM.

In the 1990s the performance of a microprocessor went hand in

hand with the microprocessor frequency , however with rapid
improvements in the chip architecture the increase in
performance as a result of increased frequency which itself
flattened overtime, started becoming obsolete when it came to
uni-core processors. The physical size of chips decreased while
the number of transistors per chip increased; clock speeds
increased which boosted the heat dissipation across the chip to
dangerous levels
C. Comparison between uni-core & multi-core processors

Multi-core processors were introduced to tackle the issues

prevalent in uni-core systems such as: power consumption,
temperature dissipation, frequency etc. multi core processors
ran at slower frequencies but they have proven to be the better
option in contrast to uni-core processors courtesy of the simple
logic: “Two heads are better than one”

To put it in simple terms the speed at which a computer runs

programs can be said to be proportional to the number of cores
present. A two — core processor is called dual core , a four core
processor is called quad core and so on. But it’s not as simple as
this, inevitably there are certain factors which affect the ability
of a multi-core processor to speed up processes, such as its
innate clock speed and simply the ability of a program to
capitalize on the multicore processors capabilities. If we take a
look at the speed of a processor lets understand that Processors
are electronic circuits that perform mathematical calculations
which take place at a fraction of a second. The time it takes a
processor to finish a calculation is a cycle. The more cycles per
second, the faster the processor can do its calculations. Most
processors today are measured in gigahertz or a billion cycles
per second. A 2 gigahertz processor runs 2 billion cycles per
second, similarly one that’s 2.3 gigahertz runs billion cycles per
second. A dual-core processor running at 2 gigahertz can run a
total of 4 billion cycles, i.e. 2 billion for each processor.