What Does Coprocessor Mean?
A coprocessor is a supplementary processor unit or an entirely different circuitry that is designed to complement the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer. Its basic functionality is to offload other processor-intensive tasks from the CPU in order to achieve accelerated system performance, by allowing the CPU to focus on tasks essential to the system. There are various types of coprocessors available to perform unique tasks – from I/O interfacing or encryption, string processing, floating-point arithmetic and signal processing.
Techopedia Explains Coprocessor
Coprocessors are simply extra circuitry meant to offload specific operations from the CPU in order for the system to run more efficiently. They can be direct control types that are controlled via coprocessor instructions that are part of the CPU’s instruction set, as in the case of floating-point units, or they can be independent types that work asynchronously with the CPU. In most cases, they are not optimized for general purpose code because they are made for specific tasks.
