CPU
Definition
Central Processing Unit - the brain of a computer that performs calculations, executes instructions, and makes decisions for all tasks.
Use Cases
- Netflix: Running large-scale microservices and backend workloads that need predictable compute performance — Deployed services on Amazon EC2 using different instance families and vCPU sizes to match workload needs, scaling capacity up and down based on demand. (Able to scale compute resources to handle variable traffic while maintaining service reliability and performance.)
- Spotify: Processing and serving personalized recommendations and backend services — Used Google Cloud compute resources (VMs/containers) and selected CPU sizing appropriate for services and batch processing jobs. (Improved ability to run compute-intensive services and scale infrastructure with user demand.)
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the difference between CPU and GPU?
- A CPU is designed for general-purpose computing and handles many different kinds of tasks quickly (like running an operating system, web servers, and most application logic). A GPU has thousands of smaller cores optimized for doing many similar calculations in parallel, which is especially useful for graphics, machine learning training, and some high-performance computing workloads.
- When should I use more CPU (or a larger vCPU count) in the cloud?
- Use more CPU when your workload is CPU-bound—meaning it spends most of its time doing computations rather than waiting on disk, network, or memory. Common signs include consistently high CPU utilization, slow request processing on application servers, long build/compile times, slow data transformations, or batch jobs that take too long. If performance issues are caused by memory pressure or slow storage, adding CPU alone may not help.
- How much does CPU cost in cloud computing?
- You typically pay for CPU as part of a compute instance/VM price, usually based on vCPU count, instance family (general purpose, compute optimized, etc.), region, and pricing model (on-demand, reserved/committed use, or spot/preemptible). Costs also vary by CPU generation and whether the VM includes additional resources like more memory, local SSD, or higher network bandwidth.
Category: hardware
Difficulty: basic
Related Terms
See Also