core

The working part of a processor that does its computing, as distinct from the supporting elements like the substrate, the surrounding plastic for protection, and the input and output connections. Originally when microprocessors were invented, each processor chip had just one core. However, further miniaturization allowed for multiple cores to be built on the same die, producing dual-core processors, then quad-core processors, and other multi-core processors. Each core does processing independently, allowing parallel processing. Publishers of software for large-scale computers recognized that cores were a more fine-grained measure of computing power than simply counting the processor chips, and so introduced core-based software licenses, such as the Microsoft Server Core license type. Some publishers then go on to rate cores within different processors, creating core points licenses. For virtual machines, various virtualization (or partitioning) technologies allow you to control the number of cores assigned to each VM.