The central processing unit (CPU) of a computer is a tiny electrical device called a microprocessor. It carries out different computations and processes data in accordance with instructions. A microprocessor consists of three basic parts: registers, the control unit, and the arithmetic logic unit (ALU). The Intel 4004 model, which was released into production in 1971, was the first microprocessor. Computers, cellphones, and other smart gadgets today employ microprocessors.