Accelerated processing unit
An accelerated processing unit (APU, also advanced processing unit) is a computer's main processing unit that includes additional processing capability designed to accelerate one or more types of computations outside of a central processing unit (CPU). This may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) used for general-purpose computing (GPGPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or similar specialized processing system.
Variations on the usage of this term include a variation in which the APU is described as a processing device which integrates a CPU and an OpenCL compatible GPU on the same die, thus improving data transfer rates between these components while reducing power consumption by upwards of 50% with current technology over traditional architecture.[1] APUs can also include video processing and other application-specific accelerators. Examples include AMD Accelerated Processing Unit, Cell, Intel HD Graphics, and NVIDIA's Project Denver.
See also
- Computer graphics
- CPU design
- Microprocessor
- System on a chip
References
- ↑ "What is an APU?", Net flow developments (World Wide Web log entry), 2012-05-03, retrieved 2014-01-13
External links
- APU Fusion, AMD
- Accelerated processing unit (news), UK: New electronics