electronics//chip//MPU

Microprocessor unit — a chip containing only the core (and caches)

Microprocessor unit — a chip containing only the core (and caches)

Requires external RAM, storage, and peripheral chips on the PCB

Desktop and server processors (Intel Core, AMD Ryzen, Apple M-series) are MPUs.

Modern ones are blurring into SoC territory by integrating GPU, NPU, and memory controllers on-package.

1 processor with 1-12+ ARM cores (multi-core)

Multicore != multiprocessor (multiprocessor = multiple MPUs on a PCB)

Only has space for cache on-die ⟶ requires external RAM (heavy) and ROM/SSD (save state)

On iPhones, RAM is stacked ON the MPU package (tiny); Windows allows RAM upgrading, macOS does not (RAM inside MPU package)

integrated GPU inside (nail size, ~30 W, lightweight inference) vs discrete GPU outside (hand size, ~450 W, heavy streams)