By Geoff Koch

Multi-core processors have arrived, reflecting Intel’s ongoing move beyond gigahertz (GHz) toward balanced platforms that deliver greater value and functionality. Multi-core processor architecture entails silicon design engineers placing two or more “execution cores,” or computational engines, within a single processor. The multi-core processor plugs directly into a single processor socket, but the operating system perceives each of its execution cores as a discrete logical processor with all the associated execution resources. By divvying up computational work among multiple execution cores, a multi-core processor can perform more work within a given clock cycle. This enables enhanced performance, reduced power consumption, and more efficient simultaneous processing of multiple tasks.