Infrastructure & Compute
CPU
Central processing unit
A general-purpose processor that handles many types of computing tasks.
Example
A CPU handles application logic while specialized accelerators run the model.
Why it matters
It handles the general software work that supports an AI application.
You'll hear it
“The AI calculation is quick, but the rest of the app is busy.”
Can you control it?
Set by the team
The people building or running the AI choose this setup. An everyday user generally needs their help to change how this part works.
Common questions
- Can a CPU run an AI model?
- Yes. Suitability depends on the model, task and performance required.
- Does an AI accelerator replace every CPU task?
- No. General processing and coordination often still need a CPU.
- Can more cores help every task equally?
- No. Some work cannot be divided usefully across many cores.