What is the CPU?

A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main

processor or just processor, is the electronic circuitry within a computer
that executes instructions that make up a computer program. ... The
computer industry used the term "central processing unit" as early as
1955.
 What is the CPU made of?
• CPUs are made mostly of an element called silicon. Silicon is rather
common in earths crust and is a semiconductor. This means that
depending on what materials you add to it, it can conduct when a
voltage is applied to it. It is the 'switch that makes a CPU work.
 What is function of the CPU?
• CPU performs all types of data processing operations. ... It stores data,
intermediate results, and instructions (program). It controls the
operation of all parts of the computer.
 What are the 4 components of a CPU?

• Common CPU components

• control unit (CU)
• arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
• registers.
• cache.
• buses.
• clock.
 control unit (CU)
• The control unit (CU) is a component of a computer's 
central processing unit (CPU) that directs the operation of the
processor. It tells the computer's memory, arithmetic and logic unit
and input and output devices how to respond to the instructions that
have been sent to the processor
 arithmetic logic unit (ALU)

An arithmetic logic unit (ALU) is a digital circuit used to

perform arithmetic and logic operations. It represents the fundamental
building block of the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer.
Modern CPUs contain very powerful and complex ALUs. In addition to
ALUs, modern CPUs contain a control unit (CU).
 Registers
Registers. Registers are small amounts of high-speed memory
contained within the CPU. They are used by the processor to store
small amounts of data that are needed during processing, such as: the
address of the next instruction to be executed. the current instruction
being decoded.
 cache
In computing, a cache is a hardware or software component that stores
data so that future requests for that data can be served faster; the data
stored in a cache might be the result of an earlier computation or a
copy of data stored elsewhere.
 Buses
• In computer architecture, a bus is a communication system that
transfers data between components inside a computer, or between
computers. This expression covers all related hardware components
and software, including communication protocols.
 Clock
• In computing, the clock rate typically refers to the frequency at which
the clock generator of a processor can generate pulses, which are
used to synchronize the operations of its components, and is used as
an indicator of the processor's speed.
 Who invented the first CPU?
• Federico Faggin
• Italian physicist Federico Faggin invented the first commercial CPU.
What are three processor functions of a
CPU?
• The four primary functions of a processor are fetch,
decode, execute and write back. Fetch- is the operation which
receives instructions from program memory from a systems
RAM. Execute- is where the operation is performed. Each part of the
CPU that is needed is activated to carry out the instructions.
 FETCH
• The basic operation of a computer is called the 'fetch-execute' cycle.
The CPU is designed to understand a set of instructions - the
instruction set. It fetches the instructions from the main memory and
executes them. This is done repeatedly from when the computer is
booted up to when it is shut down.
 FETCH
• The basic operation of a computer is called the 'fetch-execute' cycle.
The CPU is designed to understand a set of instructions - the
instruction set. It fetches the instructions from the main memory and
executes them. This is done repeatedly from when the computer is
booted up to when it is shut down.
CYCLE
 DECODING
• The decoding process allows the CPU to determine what instruction is
to be performed so that the CPU can tell how many operands it needs
to fetch in order to perform the instruction. The opcode fetched from
the memory is decoded for the next steps and moved to the
appropriate registers.
 EXECUTE
• The control unit of the CPU passes the decoded information as a
sequence of control signals to the relevant function units of the CPU
to perform the actions required by the instruction, such as reading
values from registers, passing them to the ALU to perform
mathematical or logic functions on them, and writing the result back
to a register. If the ALU is involved, it sends a condition signal back to
the CU. The result generated by the operation is stored in the main
memory or sent to an output device. Based on the feedback from the
ALU, the PC may be updated to a different address from which the
next instruction will be fetched.
 WRITE BACK
• Write back is a storage method in which data is written into the cache
every time a change occurs, but is written into the corresponding
location in main memory only at specified intervals or under certain
conditions.