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Details of Microprocessor

A microprocessor is a programmable digital electronic component that incorporates the functions of a central processing unit (CPU) on a single semiconducting integrated circuit (IC). The microprocessor was born by reducing the word size of the CPU from 32 bits to 4 bits, so that the transistors of its logic circuits would fit onto a single part. One or more microprocessors typically serve as the CPU in a computer system, embedded system, or handheld device. Microprocessors made possible the advent of the microcomputer in the mid-1970s. Before this period, 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 processing capacity was greatly reduced. Since the advent of the IC in the mid-1970s, the microprocessor has become the most prevalent implementation of the CPU, nearly completely replacing all other forms. See History of computing hardware for pre-electronic and early electronic computers.

Since the early 1970s, the increase in processing capacity of evolving microprocessors has been known to generally follow Moore's Law. It suggests that the complexity of an integrated circuit, with respect to minimum component cost, doubles every 18 months. In the early 1990s, microprocessor's heat generation (TDP) - due to current leakage - emerged, as a leading developmental constraint. From their humble beginnings as the drivers for calculators, the continued increase in processing capacity has led to the dominance of microprocessors over every other form of computer; every system from the largest mainframes to the smallest handheld computers now uses a microprocessor at its core.

Microprocessor
Die of an Intel 80486DX2 microprocessor (actual size: 12×6.75 mm) in its packaging
Date Invented:	Late 1960s/Early 1970s (see article for explanation)
Connects to: Motherboard via one of Socket Integration DIP Others
Architectures: PowerPC x86 x64 Others
Common Manufacturers: Intel AMD