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Multi-core computing uses multiple microprocessors on a single chip to improve efficiency and increase multi-tasking capabilities. The design allows for tasks to be divided and delegated, improving performance. Multi-core processors have become the standard and are used in various electronic devices.
Multi-core computing refers to the use of multiple microprocessors, called “cores,” which are built on a single silicon die. The chip is mounted on a computer motherboard in exactly the same way as a traditional CPU. There’s nothing new in the concept of pooling processors, a technique known as multiprocessing; however, a multi-core processor is a little different. A multi-core processor acts as a single unit. As such, it is more efficient and establishes a standardized platform, for which mass software can be easily developed.
The design of a multi-core processor allows each core to communicate with the others, so that computing tasks can be divided and delegated appropriately. However, the actual delegation is dictated by the software. When a task is completed, information processed by all cores is returned to the motherboard via a single shared conduit. This process can often significantly improve performance over a single-core processor of comparable speed. The degree of performance improvement will depend on how efficiently the software code is running.
In addition to raw speed, these new chips dramatically increase the amount of multi-tasking computers can do. Initially, the practical applications of multi-core processors were severely limited because many software products of the time were not designed to take full advantage of them. The gap was quickly closed, as a new generation of operating systems became available, along with new generations of commercial software, including games, simulation products, and even office productivity applications. Software developers quickly shifted their priorities to make the most of new hardware.
Multi-core computing has halted the ongoing race among chip designers to create ever faster processors. By using multiple slower cores, higher clock speeds can be achieved more efficiently than by designing super-fast single processors. When personal computers using multi-core computing technology became widely available to consumers in 2003 and 2004, the new CPUs only featured dual-core processors. This changed rapidly over the next few years, with multi-core processing becoming the standard. Quad-core and octo-core processors will therefore allow for chips containing literally hundreds of cores or more.
Multi-core computing isn’t limited to the realm of personal computers. Many other electronic devices, including game consoles, industrial electronics, super computers, and PC hardware components, such as graphics processors in video cards, are adopting this technology as it becomes more common and more affordable.
