Recent challenges in the IT and semiconductor industry: From Von Neumann architecture to the future

For the purpose of promoting better understanding of all chapters in this book, the basic terminologies and fundamental concepts in the semiconductor field are comprehensively addressed in this first chapter. For this purpose, this chapter aims to explain the fundamental architecture of a computer (which is technically called 'Von Neumann architecture'). Specifically, the concepts of input device (keyboard, mouse, scanner), central processing unit (CPU), memory unit (hard disk, random access memory [RAM]), and output unit (monitor, printer, speaker, headphones) are discussed first. Then, the components of the CPU-control unit, registers, cache, arithmetic logic unit (ALU)-are addressed. Finally, the basic unit of the CPU and memory unit-transistors and circuits-are briefly explained so that readers can easily understand the following chapters.