What does multicore mean?
Multicore describes a computer processor or system containing more than one processing core. Each core can execute instructions independently, allowing a processor to handle several tasks concurrently and improving performance in suitable workloads. The term is especially associated with modern desktop computers, laptops, servers, and mobile devices, where processors commonly contain several cores. Multicore processing is distinct from multitasking at the operating-system level: separate programs may be active simultaneously, while multicore technology enables parts of a program or different tasks to be processed in parallel. It is also different from multithreading, which divides a program's work into threads; those threads can run on multiple cores, but they do not require them. Multicore has become a familiar term because processors with several cores are now standard, although the amount of benefit depends on the software and the way its tasks can be divided.
Having or using more than one processor core.
"The application makes efficient use of the device's multicore design."
Usually used attributively, especially in technical descriptions of processors and computer systems.
A processor or computer system containing more than one processing core.
"The new multicore handles video encoding much faster than the previous model."
The noun use is less common than the attributive adjective use and may refer to either an individual processor or a multicore system.
Rare in ordinary technical prose; plural forms are more natural when a specific number of processors is stated.
"The data centre replaced several older multicores with newer systems."
Multicore technology lets a single processor work on several tasks at once by giving each core its own slice of the action.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does multicore come from?
The word combines the combining form multi-, derived from Latin multus, meaning “many,” with the computing term core, an individual processing unit. The compound emerged in the early 21st century as processors with multiple independently operating cores became practical and widely marketed. Its multi- element belongs to the same Latin root found in words such as multitude, multiple, and multiply.
How multicore is actually used
Standard technical terminology in computing. It is commonly used attributively before words such as processor, CPU, architecture, and system; the noun use is less frequent.
Easily confused with multicore
A multicore processor contains multiple physical processing cores, whereas a multithreaded processor can divide tasks into threads that may run across one or more cores.