Multicore microprocessor ( or chip-level multiprocessor, CMP) is one that combines two or more independent processors into a single package, often a single integrated circuit (IC). A dual-core device contains two independent microprocessors and a quad-core device contains four microprocessors. A multi-core microprocessor implements multiprocessing in a single physical package. Cores in a multicore device may share a single coherent cache at the highest on-device cache level (e.g. L2 for the Intel Core 2) or may have separate caches (e.g. current AMD dual-core processors). The processors also share the same interconnect to the rest of the system. Each "core" independently implements optimizations such as superscalar execution, pipelining, and hyperthreading. A system with N cores is effective when it is presented with N or more threads concurrently. The most commercially significant (or at least the most 'obvious') multi-core processors are those used in computers (primarily from Intel & AMD) and games consoles (eg the Cell processor in the PS3). In this context, "multi" typical means a relatively small number of cores. However, the technology is widely used in other technology areas, especially those of embedded processors such as network processors and digital signal processors, and in GPUs. In these applications, multi-core processors with higher numbers of processing elements (hundreds on one die) now exist.
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