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coprocessor

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coprocessor

[kō′prä‚ses·ər]
(computer science)
A processing unit that works together with a primary central processing unit to speed a computer's execution of time-consuming operations.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

coprocessor

Any computer processor which assists the main processor (the "CPU") by performing certain special functions, usually much faster than the main processor could perform them in software. The coprocessor often decodes instructions in parallel with the main processor and executes only those instructions intended for it.

The most common example is a floating point coprocessor (or "FPU"), others are graphics and networking.
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

coprocessor

A secondary processor in a computer that is used to speed up operations by taking some of the workload that the main CPU would otherwise have to handle. See GPU, GPGPU, math coprocessor and quantum coprocessor.
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References in periodicals archive
Prior to this, these clustering co-processors were whole separate computers.
The easy-to-install PCI co-processor card will provide Sun customers with the ability to operate in both worlds, by allowing them to work with popular PC office productivity applications without sacrificing the ability to run the demanding technical applications they need in the more robust Solaris(TM) operating environment.
In airborne operations, the equipment is on a 6" x 9" printed circuit card; it also comes in a 19" rack-mountable box or as a software package for operation on a personal computer with a co-processor.
In this instance the full 80486DX came equipped with a math co-processor built into the chip.
* DOS co-processor: A 486 CPU can be added to the card rack to allow a machinery OEM to create its own operator interface and tie it to the MACO control with the use of optional operator-interface software.
Factors such as the speed of the central processor itself; the speed of transfer between processor and disk; the interaction of the programs; the presence or absence of a math co-processor all affect the performance.
It has also has a dedicated AI co-processor. The chipset is built using TSMC's 12nm FinFET process promising higher power efficiency.
Designed as a dual co-processor companion to GMS Intel[R] Xeon[R] rugged air-cooled or conduction-cooled servers, X422 is the first product to bring the computational power of Nvidia's best Tensor Core general-purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU) to the battlefield's tactical edge or right into a ground or air vehicle to speed data analysis and interpretation from hours to minutes.
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