Microprocessors

A microprocessor (sometimes abbreviated �P) is a digital electronic component with transistors on a single semiconductor integrated circuit (IC). One or more microprocessors typically serve as a central processing unit (CPU) in a computer system or handheld device.

Moore’s law; source: wikipedia.org

Microprocessors made possible the advent of the microcomputer. Before this, electronic CPUs were typically made from bulky discrete switching devices (and later small-scale integrated circuits) containing the equivalent of only a few transistors. By integrating the processor onto one or a very few large-scale integrated circuit packages (containing the equivalent of thousands or millions of discrete transistors), the cost of processor power was greatly reduced.

The evolution of microprocessors has been known to follow Moore’s Law when it comes to steadily increasing performance over the years. This law suggests that the complexity of an integrated circuit, with respect to minimum component cost, doubles every 24 months. This rule has been generally followed, unconsciously, since the early 1970s.

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